Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Mar 31;36(1):19-28.
eCollection 2023 Mar.

Estimation of Total Body Surface Area Burned: A Comparison Between Burn Unit and Referring Facilities

H L Ho  1   2   3 , A S Halim  1   2 , W A W Sulaiman  1 , M J Fatimah  1
Affiliations

Estimation of Total Body Surface Area Burned: A Comparison Between Burn Unit and Referring Facilities

H L Ho et al. Ann Burns Fire Disasters. .

Abstract
in English, French

Accuracy of burn size estimation is critical in acute burn management because it directly affects the patient's outcome and prognosis. This study aims to quantify the discrepancies of total body surface area (TBSA) burned between the burn unit (TBSAb) and the referring facilities (TBSAr). Data of all referred adult and paediatric patients admitted to the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia Burn Unit within 24 hours post burn were retrospectively reviewed from 2015 to 2019. %TBSA discrepancies were calculated by the differences between TBSAb and TBSAr. A total of 208 patients (111 adults and 97 paediatric patients) were recruited in this study. Of these, the TBSA was overestimated in 60.58% cases, underestimated in 13.46% cases, accurate in 7.69% cases, and in 18.27% cases the referrals had no TBSAr stated. The %TBSA discrepancy was the highest in severe burns (mean 10.80% in adults and 7.59 in paediatric patients; P<0.001). The time interval between referral and reassessment and patients' body mass index (BMI) were not statistically significant for the magnitude of TBSA discrepancy. The number of burn areas involved correlated with the %TBSA discrepancies, with the highest recorded discrepancy being 21.50% in whole body involvement. There were significant discrepancies in TBSA estimations between the referring facilities and those of the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) burn unit, especially among the paediatric patients and those with severe burns. Implementation of educational programs by burn care experts and agreement on a universal method of TBSA assessment are necessary in reducing the discrepancies.

L’estimation précise de la surface brûlée est cruciale dans la prise en charge des patients. Cette étude a évalué les différences d’évaluation de SB selon sa réalisation en CTB (CTB) ou ailleurs (A). Les données de tous les patients (111 adultes et 97 enfants) hospitalisés entre 2015 et 2019, dans les 24h suivant leur brûlure, dans le CTB du CHU Universiti Sains Malaysia ont été revues rétrospectivement. L’estimation A n’était correcte que dans 7,69% des cas. Elle était exagérée dans 60,58% des cas, minorée dans 13,46% et absente dans 18,27%. L’erreur était plus nette (10,8% chez les adultes, 7,59% chez les enfants) en cas de brûlure grave. Le BMI et la durée entre les évaluations A et CTB n’entraient pas en ligne de compte. L’erreur augmentait avec le nombre de régions touchées, pour atteindre 21,5% si toutes comportaient une brûlure. Ces constatations nous amènent à proposer des actions d’éducation dispensées par des brûlologues et l’acceptation par tous d’une méthode unique de calcul de la SB.

Keywords: discrepancy; overestimation; total burn surface area; underestimation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Age distribution of patients
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
%TBSA discrepancy between referring centres and the burn unit in adult and paediatric patients
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Seow SN, Halim AS, Wan Sulaiman WA, Mat Saad AZ, Mat Johar SFN: The practice of first aid for burn injuries among the population of east coast of Peninsular Malaysia for 2012-2016. J Burn Care Res, 41(4): 905-7, 2020. - PubMed
    1. Harish V, Raymond AP, Issler AC, Lajevardi SS, et al. : Accuracy of burn size estimation in patients transferred to adult burn units in Sydney, Australia: an audit of 698 patients. Burns, 41(1): 91-9, 2015. - PubMed
    1. Berkebile BL, Goldfarb IW, Slater H: Comparison of burn size estimates between prehospital reports and burn centre evaluations. J Burn Care Rehabil, 7(5): 411-2, 1986. - PubMed
    1. Pruitt Jr, Basil A: Protection from excessive resuscitation: “pushing the pendulum back”. J Trauma Acute Care Surg, 49(3): 567-8, 2000. - PubMed
    1. Palmer JH, Sutherland AB: Problems associated with transfer of patients to a regional burns unit. Injury, 18(4): 250-7, 1987. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources