A model for predicting mortality among critically ill burn victims.
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.
Galeiras
Rita
R
Hospital Juan Canalejo, A Coruña, Spain.
Lorente
José A
JA
Pértega
Sonia
S
Vallejo
Alfonso
A
Tomicic
Vinko
V
de la Cal
Miguel A
MA
Pita
Salvador
S
Cerdá
Enrique
E
Esteban
Andrés
A
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*