Citation

D'Avignon LC, Hogan BK, Murray CK, Loo FL, Hospenthal DR, Cancio LC, Kim SH, Renz EM, Barillo D, Holcomb JB, Wade CE, Wolf SE. Burns 2010; 36(6): 773-779.

Affiliation

Brooke Army Medical Center, United States; Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, United States; University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.burns.2009.11.007

PMID

20074860

Abstract

Bacterial infections are a common cause of mortality in burn patients and viral infections, notably herpes simplex virus (HSV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) have also been associated with mortality. This study is a retrospective review of all autopsy reports from patients with severe thermal burns treated at the US Army Institute of Research (USAISR) burn unit over 12 years. The review focused on those patients with death attributed to a bacterial or viral cause by autopsy report. Of 3751 admissions, 228 patients died with 97 undergoing autopsy. Death was attributed to bacteria for 27 patients and to virus for 5 patients. Bacterial pathogens associated with mortality included Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. This association with mortality was independent of % total body surface area burn, % full-thickness burn, inhalation injury, and day of death post-burn. Bloodstream infection was the most common cause of bacteria related death (50%), followed by pneumonia (44%) and wound infection (6%). Time to death following burn was

Language: en