Outcomes from burn injury-should decreasing mortality continue to be our compass?
Patient survival continues to be the standard measure of outcomes after burn injury. The current mortality following thermal injury, however, is very low, around 5% to 6%, and has changed little in almost 30 years. This article uses the National Burn Repository to assess the factors that affect mortality and discusses the need for other outcome measures. Although improving survival is a lofty goal and should not be abandoned, aspects such as quality of life and return to baseline activity should be taken into account in the assessment of patient outcome after burn injury.
Department of Surgery, The Burn Center, Washington Hospital Center, NW, DC 20010, USA.
Amín D
AD
Jaskille
Jeffrey W
JW
Shupp
Anna R
AR
Pavlovich
Philip
P
Fidler
Marion H
MH
Jordan
James C
JC
Jeng
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002056:Burns / Q000266:history* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult