Surgical treatment of burns in elderly patients.
This study evaluates our experience with surgical treatment of burns in the elderly. Forty-two patients more than 59 years old were treated from 1982 to 1986. The mean age was 73, and the mean TBSA burned was 29%. The patients were divided into three groups. Group I had 22 patients with less than 20% TBSA burn (mean of 11%, with a mean of 6% full-thickness burns). Their survival rate was 91%. Group II had 11 patients with 21-40% TBSA burns (mean of 32%, with a mean of 17% full-thickness burns). Their survival rate was 82%. Group III had nine patients with burns greater than 40% TBSA (mean, 71%). None of these patients survived. Twenty of 29 (68%) survivors required a total of 36 operations. The mean area grafted per procedure was 8%. Each procedure required a mean of 2U packed red blood cells, and a mean of 2 1/4 hours. The complication rate was 33%, with partial graft loss (14%) being the most frequent. The average hospital stay was 27 days in Group I and 45 days in Group II. Only 25% of the patients required nursing home assistance at discharge.
Burdge
J J
JJ
Division of Plastic Surgery, Ohio State University, Columbus.
Katz
B
B
Edwards
R
R
Ruberg
R
R
D000368:Aged; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008875:Middle Aged; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000150:complications; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011379:Prognosis; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000401:mortality