Use of vitamin supplements for burned patients: a national survey

Vitamin losses and requirements of critically ill and burned patients remain undefined in the current research and clinical literature. A survey was conducted to determine the vitamin supplementations routinely prescribed for burned patients, dosages, and the criteria for administration. A questionnaire was sent to 271 health care providers (dietitians and physicians) who work in burn care facilities in the United States. Forty-seven percent of the questionnaires were completed and returned. They showed that 87% of the respondents routinely prescribed vitamin supplementation. Of those, 97% used some kind of multivitamin preparation. Fifty-eight percent of the multivitamin dosages exceeded 100% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances. Several respondents indicated that extra vitamins were given in addition to the multivitamin preparations. Most facilities used more than one specific criterion for prescribing vitamins when supplementation was not routine. Burn size, nutritional status prior to admission, and poor dietary intake were the criteria most commonly identified. Further research is needed to provide guidelines for the kind and amount of vitamin supplements needed for burned patients.