title: A model for predicting mortality among critically ill burn victims.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a model for predicting mortality among burn victims.
  
  
  METHODS
  All casualties admitted to our intensive care burn unit (ICBU) with a diagnosis of thermal or inhalation injury were studied. Age, total and full-thickness body surface area (BSA) burned, presence of inhalation injury, gender, mechanism of injury, delay to ICBU admission and mechanical ventilation during the first 72 h were recorded. The 851 participants were randomly divided into derivation (671) and validation (180) sets. From univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses a mortality predictive equation was derived.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mortality was 17.6%. In univariate analysis, all variables were significantly associated with mortality except mechanism of injury and delay to ICBU admission. In multivariate analysis, age, total and full-thickness BSA burned, female gender and early mechanical ventilation were independently associated with mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose a mortality predictive equation for burned victims. In this model, MV and not inhalation injury is a mortality risk factor.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Juan Canalejo, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Galeiras
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lorente
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pértega
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vallejo
authors.forename: Vinko
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tomicic
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de la Cal
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pita
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cerdá
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Esteban
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002056:Burns / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D002059:Burns, Inhalation / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*