Nutritional support for burn injuries

There are approximately 2,000,000 burns each year in the United States that require medical treatment. Fortunately, most of these can be treated on an outpatient basis; however, 100,000 patients are hospitalized yearly. The mortality rate is higher in patients with large burns or smoke inhalation injury or both, or in patients otherwise compromised by age or concomitant disease. Thermal injury leads to suppression of the immune response, and infectious morbidity is common in all burn patients. In addition, the injury and recovery processes are attended by tremendous catabolism of host tissues, leaving patients debilitated and functionally impaired. Medical nutrition therapy plays a key role in the support of the burn patient, supporting the immune system and blunting the hypermetabolic response.