Trace Element Supplementation in Burn Patients: Exploring the Relationship Between Burn Size and Mineral Needs

Trace element deficiency is an adverse nutritional outcome that can occur with burn injuries and can interfere with a patient's recovery. The aim of this study was to review the efficacy of our predominately enteral trace element supplementation strategy and determine the burn size at which patients are at risk for trace element deficiency. We reviewed 53 burn patients admitted to our burn center from August 1, 2019 to May 31, 2022 who had their trace element levels and C-reactive protein monitored in 2 week increments. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated a 22.1% body surface area burned (BSAB) cutoff for zinc supplementation to prevent deficiency with 91.7% sensitivity and 92.6% specificity, and a 27.5% BSAB cutoff with 88.9% sensitivity and 81% specificity for copper. No patient in our cohort developed selenium deficiency, regardless of burn size. Patients with greater than 30% BSAB developed deficiencies in both zinc and copper within the first 2 weeks of hospitalization. Our results provide guidance for trace element replacement based on burn size.