Major burns in Cape Town: a modified burns score for patient triage.
Major burns equal to, or greater than, 30 per cent total body surface area (TBSA) constitute 23 per cent of the admissions to the adult burns unit in Cape Town. A retrospective review over a 28-month period identified 87 cases of major burns. This paper summarizes the epidemiology and mortality amongst this patient group over this period. Demand for treatment can exceed bed availability in the unit. The difficult issue, this raises, of patient triage in relation to the relatively limited resources is addressed and a simple modified burns score proposed for this unit. The effect this score would have in optimizing the use of our resources is demonstrated.
Godwin
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Y
Department of Plastic Surgery, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, Republic of South Africa.
Wood
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SH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001830:Body Surface Area; D002056:Burns / Q000145:classification* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D002059:Burns, Inhalation / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D003422:Critical Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014218:Triage