Prevalence of infectious complications in burn patients requiring intensive care: data from a pan-European study

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of infectious complications in burn patients requiring intensive care in a one-day multicenter study encompassing burn centers in various European countries.

The European Burns Association database identified 87 centers in Western and Eastern Europe, 27 of which agreed to cooperate. American Burn Association recommendations were used for diagnosis of various infectious complications in patients with thermal trauma.

From those centers, we randomly assigned 134 patients (44 women) to the analysis. Mean age of the group was 40.39 ± 22.17(SD) years. Mean abbreviated burn severity index was 7.5±2.54, mean size of burned area was 30.49 ± 20.14% of total body surface area. Mean length of hospitalization to date was 24.32 ± 30.64 days. Infectious complications were observed in 92 patients (68.7%), 76 (56.7%) of whom met the criteria for infection of the burned area, 26 patients (19.4%) for bloodstream infection, 21 (15.7%) for pneumonia, and 13 (9.7%) for urinary system infection. Multifocal infections were found in 29 patients (21.6%). Gram-positive bacterial strains as potentially pathogenic microorganisms were identified in 67 patients (50.0%), Gram-negative bacterial strains in 73 (54.5%), and yeasts in 18 (13.4%) patients. Filamentous fungi were not isolated from any patient in the group.

Cornerstone future standards in individual burn centers should be to monitor the occurrence of infectious complications in burn patients, prevent the spread of these complications, and report resistant pathogens. This work constitutes an important project in this area.