[The influence of different therapeutic approaches on the survival of elderly burn patients]

The present study analyzes the outcome of 51 patients aged more than 65 years, who were admitted between 1993 and 1997 to a specific burns unit with the possibility of intensive care medicine including respirator therapy and hemofiltration. The results were compared to an historical control group treated between 1980 and 1990. The overall survival rate was 54 %. Analyzing the patients' mortality, an increase in the number of nurses, improvement of enteral nutrition and wound monitoring had more influence on the survival rates than respirator therapy, hemofiltration and catecholamines. This is in contrast to our experience with younger individuals. The positive influence of intensive care on survival was restricted only to a small number of cases. The group of patients who died on the intensive care unit showed a relatively long median survival time of 24 days. Septic multiorgan failure was the main cause of death.