Selenium losses in 10 burned patients.
To determine the selenium (Se) losses and balances, 10 patients with burns of 32 +/- 9% (mean +/- SD) of total body surface and aged 36 +/- 9 years were studied from D1 (first post-injury) unitl D7. Cutaneous losses were extracted from the textiles surrounding the patients. Serum and urine were collected until D20. Exudative losses of nitrogen decreased progressively (mean 8.7 +/- 3.8 g/24H). Se was detectable in wound seepage only during excision-grafting: mean operative loss was 342 +/- 191 mug. Mean urinary Se excretion was 41 +/- 13 mug/24H. Operative cutaneous losses led to some negative balances. Serum Se and glutathione peroxydase (GSHPx) were depressed until D20. Serum Se was related to N intake (p < 0.001). The decreased Se and GSHPx levels reflect a deficiency state, which measured losses did not explain, but limitations of the measurement methods prevented detection of Se cutaneous losses 100 mug/24H.
Berger
M M
MM
Anesthesiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudios (CHUV), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Cavadini
C
C
Bart
A
A
Blondel
A
A
Bartholdi
I
I
Vandervale
A
A
Krupp
S
S
Chiolero
R
R
Freeman
J
J
Dirren
H
H