Burn variables influencing survival: a study of 144 patients

This review assess the influence of burn variables on patients' survival using epidemiological analysis of 144 patients admitted over a 2-year period, the overall mortality rate was 9.7 per cent. The risk of mortality in patients with 30-50 and 50-80 per cent total body surface area (TBSA) burns was 16 and 86 times that in patients with less than 30 per cent TBSA burns respectively. The risk of mortality was multiplied by five when burns were full skin thickness or arrival was delayed for between 2 and 5 h. The increases in burn size, burn depth and arrival delay significantly raised the mortality rate (P < 0.0001, P = 0.02 and P = 0.01 respectively). When burn surface area (BSA) exceeded 30 per cent TBSA, the effect of the other two variables on survival were reinforced. When the patients' age was under 6 years and BSA was above 85 per cent TBSA, the risk of mortality was increased five times but insignificantly raised its rate.