Weight changes and patterns of weight measurements in hospitalized burn patients: a contemporary analysis

Severe burn is associated with significant changes in body weight due to resuscitation volumes, fluid shifts, a hypermetabolic state, prolonged bed rest, and caloric intake. Our goal was to quantify and describe trends in weight change in patients with burns of all severities under modern treatment conditions and to identify the time points at which these changes occur.

An institutional review board-approved chart review was conducted of acute burn patients treated at an American Burn Association-verified regional burn center from February 2016 to November 2016. Patients were then divided into three groups based on percent of total burn surface area (%TBSA) burn: 1-19%, 20-39%, and ≥ 40%. Weight was expressed as percent change of weight from baseline. Regression analysis was conducted on percent weight changes for each TBSA group.

We identified 197 burn patients with a length of stay (LOS) of ≥ 7 days. Of the study cohort, 149 had TBSA burn of 1-19%, 27 had TBSA burn of 20-39%, and 21 had TBSA burn of ≥ 40%. All groups had a majority of White male, non-Hispanic patients with mean ages between 40 and 42 years. Burn patients with > 20% TBSA burn had a median increase in weight above baseline of approximately 5 to 8% likely due to resuscitation fluids within the first week of hospitalization. Weight loss below baseline often did not exceed 10% and was more pronounced as LOS increased, mostly in patients with > 20% TBSA burn. Whereas patients with 1-19% TBSA burn on average returned to baseline weight at last measurement, patients with 20-39% TBSA and ≥ 40% TBSA burn continued a decline in weight at 4 weeks (r ² = 0.57 and 0.55, respectively) on the same trajectory.

Burn patients with > 20% TBSA burn had an increase in weight above baseline of up to 8%, likely due to resuscitation fluids within the first week of hospitalization. Weight loss below baseline often did not exceed 10% and was more pronounced as LOS increased, mostly in patients with > 20% TBSA burn. Therefore, our patients on average, lost body weight to a lesser extent than the maximum mean loss of 22% of pre-burn weight reported prior to modern treatment conditions.