An analysis of factors which predict mortality in hospitalized burn patients.

Numerous studies have described the relationship between the size and depth of burn, age and burn patient mortality. Recent studies have examined the effect of other factors upon burn mortality and have proposed burn severity indexes based on statistical models. Data from 854 patients treated in the San Diego Burn Treatment Centre were analysed using multiple logistic regression. Many variables were associated with mortality, even when adjustments were made for burn size and depth. Several predictive models were constructed using those variables. The admission white blood count, admission serum osmolality, the involvement of inflammable liquid and the presence of pre-existing mental disorders, circulatory disease and digestive disease were found to have significant effects upon mortality when incorporated in a predictive model with age, size of partial-thickness burn and size of full-thickness burn. These results have implications for the construction and use of burn severity indexes.