The burn unit experience at Grady Memorial Hospital: 844 cases

Abstract

Between February 20, 1987 and July 13, 1990, 844 patients were admitted to the Grady Memorial Hospital Burn Unit. Mean age was 25.5 years, mean burn size 16.5% total body surface area, mean survivor hospital length of stay 15.9 days, and an overall survival 90.5%. Seventy-three percent were male. One half of the burns were less than 10% total body surface area. Almost half (48.5%) of the patients had flame burns, which accounted for 88.8% of the 80 deaths. The peak burn incidence occurred in infants and children as a result of scalds. If those with toxic epidermal necrolysis (n = 5), those without skin injury (n = 13), and those who were allowed to die (n = 16) are excluded, survival was 92.2%. Survival in 62 patients with inhalation injury (55.23%) was significantly less than that in 474 patients without inhalation injury (98.10%) (p less than 0.0001). The three variables--age, burn size, and inhalation injury--each influenced survival significantly but appeared to be dependent on each other; all three tended to increase or decrease together. Logistic regression equations to predict survival were developed.