A retrospective review of the burn intensive care unit admissions for a year

Abstract

One hundred twenty-three patients who were admitted to the University of Florida burn intensive care unit during a 1-year period were included in this retrospective study. The average age of the patients was 28 years (range 3 months to 90 years), and the average size of the total body surface area burned was 18%, with 7% full-thickness burns. The average hospital stay of each patient was 17.46 days. One hundred twelve operations were carried out in the burn unit's operating room with a circulating nurse from the registered nursing staff of the burn intensive care unit. No major complications occurred during the procedures. There were 1689 hydrotherapies and 2496 splint days. No significant loss of function of the patients' extremities developed while the patients were in the burn intensive care unit after the 112 debridement and skin grafting procedures were done. During the year, 365 follow-up examinations were done on previously discharged patients in the outpatient clinic area of the burn intensive care unit, which gave the doctors, registered nurses, and therapists an opportunity to determine their patients' progress. During the past year 537 separate pieces of compression garments were fitted.