Plasma amino acid levels in the first few days after burn injury and their predictive value.

Plasma amino acid concentrations were studied in 27 burn subjects on the day of injury and on day 4, as a function of the burn surface area and the outcome. On the day of injury, compared to normal subjects, plasma amino acid levels were generally higher in the most severely burned patients (significantly for ALA, GLY, HYP and PHE) and in nonsurvivors (significantly for ALA, PHE, GLY, PRO and ORN). In burn patients all initial values were higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors; for ALA, GLY, and LEU, the difference was significant. Between the day of injury and day 4, different variations were noticed depending on the amino acid in question and the outcome. On day 4, plasma amino acid levels were lower in nonsurvivors, significantly for GLU + GLN, THR, SER, PRO, ASP + ASN, LEU, ILEU and VAL. Our data suggest that plasma amino acid determination could be used as an accurate element of prognosis after burn injury.