Measures for preventing early postburn damage improve survival rate of burn patients

Aim: To define the role of measures for preventing early postburn damage in improving the survival rate of burn patients. Methods: 12 568 burn cases admitted to our institute were chronologically divided into three groups (stages). Total burn surface area (TBSA), survival rate, incidence of burn shock, systemic infection and organ damage as well as the main treatments adopted in the recent decade were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Incidence of burn shock, systemic infection and organ damage were significantly lower, and the total survival rate and the survival rate in patients with different TBSA were markedly higher in the third stage of the study as compared with those in the first and the second stages. The incidence of organ damage in patients treated with delayed fast fluid infusion, early extensive escharectomy, early enteral feeding, early intervention for inhalation injury and intervention to prevent gut bacterial translocation were also significantly lower than in those without the intervention resources. Conclusion: Measures for preventing early postburn damage play an important role in improving the survival rate of burn patients.