title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Renz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002053:Burn Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D002059:Burns, Inhalation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome