Preexisting Conditions Influence Length of Stay in Burn Patients: Population-Based Retrospective Review

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Burn Care
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Burn patient outcomes are influenced by age, burn severity, and inhalation injury.
• Preexisting conditions (PECs) are known to affect burn patient care and length of stay (LOS).
• Limited national-level data exists on the impact of PECs on LOS beyond traditional burn severity metrics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between preexisting conditions and hospital (H-LOS) and intensive care unit (ICU-LOS) length of stay in burn patients.
• To control for traditional burn severity metrics in the analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the National Burn Database Bank (2020-2022) for adult patients (≥18 years) with second- or third-degree burns.
• Conducted multivariate analysis, adjusting for age, burn location, etiology, and inhalation injury.
• Defined statistical significance at P < 0.05.

Main Results:

• Identified 19,953 burn patients; 70.16% were male, mean age 48 years.
• PECs associated with increased H-LOS: mental/personality disorder (6.34 days), substance abuse disorder (4.74 days), alcohol use disorder (2.96 days), diabetes mellitus (1.59 days).
• PECs associated with increased ICU-LOS: obesity (1.14 days), diabetes mellitus (1.13 days) (P < 0.05 for all).

Conclusions:

• Preexisting conditions significantly contribute to extended hospital and ICU stays for burn patients.
• Systematic screening for PECs and targeted inpatient strategies are recommended.
• Interventions like mental health support, substance use treatment, and chronic disease management may enhance care efficiency and reduce LOS.