Valoration of burned body surface area in patients of San Vicente de Paúl University Hospital, Medellín, 2004

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The estimation of the burned surface area has a huge importance for the acute management and prognosis of the burn victim. It has been revised the different methods available for the assessment of the burn extent and some resuscitation basic concepts.

 MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study was made based on the information took from medical records of patients from the burn unit of the San Vicente de Paul University Hospital in Medellín (Col) during 2004. The initial diagnosis of the burn extension made by the remittent clinician was compared with the ones made by experience clinicians at the emergency room and by the plastic surgeon at the Burn Unit. The results obtained were processed with the package Statistic 6.0 (Stafsoft Inc) and it was considered significant a p value < 0.05. The variables are presented as absolute values and with their respective percentages.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: There were 329 attended patients. 60% of them had mistaken or incomplete diagnosis, and 39.3% of the diagnosis made at our emergency room were incomplete or incorrect. We found more frequently overestimation than underestimation of the burn surface area. In most of the cases mistakes were made that modified the burn category (mild, moderate, and severe). It is necessary to improve basic knowledge about burn care in the inexperience clinicians.