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The determination of total burn surface area: How much difference?

2013; Elsevier BV; Volume: 39; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.burns.2013.01.021

1879-1409

Michael Giretzlehner, Johannes Dirnberger, Robert Owen, H. Haller, David B. Lumenta, Lars‐Peter Kamolz,

Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Management

Burn depth and burn size are crucial determinants for assessing patients suffering from burns. Therefore, a correct evaluation of these factors is optimal for adapting the appropriate treatment in modern burn care. Burn surface assessment is subject to considerable differences among clinicians. This work investigated the accuracy among experts based on conventional surface estimation methods (e.g. "Rule of Palm", "Rule of Nines" or "Lund-Browder Chart"). The estimation results were compared to a computer-based evaluation method. Survey data was collected during one national and one international burn conference. The poll confirmed deviations of burn depth/size estimates of up to 62% in relation to the mean value of all participants. In comparison to the computer-based method, overestimation of up to 161% was found. We suggest introducing improved methods for burn depth/size assessment in clinical routine in order to efficiently allocate and distribute the available resources for practicing burn care.