The Differences in Burn Wound Size Estimations between Primary Hospitals and Referral Burn Center Hospital
Differences in Burn Wound Size Estimations between Hospitals
Keywords:
burn, body surface area, fluid resuscitationAbstract
Assessment of the burn wound size is an important aspect for calculation of fluid resuscitation in burn wound patients. Overestimation or underestimation can result in complications such as pulmonary edema or renal failure. The purpose of this analytic study was to compare the estimation of burn wound size by referring hospitals versus referral burn unit hospital. A retrospective chart review of all transferred patients to Buddhachinaraj Phitsanulok Hospital during Oct 1, 2016 to Sep 30, 2020 was performed. Data were presented as a number, percentage and median (min-max). Data between hospitals was compared with Wilcoxon signed-rank and paired t-test, set a statistical significance level of 0.05. There were 112 transferred patients who met the study criteria. The disagreement of burn wound size estimation ratio of referring hospitals to burn unit was 2.4:1. The overestimation was found in 59 patients (52.7%). The median area of burn wound size assessed by the primary care hospitals (20% TBSA) was significantly higher than that assessed by the referral hospital (13% TBSA) (p < 0.001). More communication and planning together among hospitals can improve burn wound size estimations and help patient care more effective.
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