Infectious Factors in Burn Patients and Effects on Mortality

Aim: Burn wound infection and sepsis is still a serious mortality factor in burn injuries. We aimed to identify microorganisms isolated in wound, blood and urine samples and their effect on the mortality of our hospitalized patients. Material and Methods: Patients hospitalized at our center and intensive care unit between January 1st, 2002 and December 31st, 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient age, gender, total body surface area burned, whether there is a wound-blood-urine culture or not, if so the identified microorganism, and mortality was recorded. Results: The mean age of the hospitalized 2245 patients was 25±22 (range 1-95 years) and 32.8% (737) were female. Among 2225 patients, wound cultures were carried out in 691 (30.8%), blood cultures in 625 (28.1%) and urine cultures in 589 (26.2%) patients. A positive culture in wound, blood and urine significantly increased the mortality rates (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). Among the patients with total body surface area burns of <30%, a positive culture in blood or urine significantly increased the mortality rates (p<0.001, p=0.038, respectively).Conclusion: Infection in burn injuries is still a major problem effecting mortality. Several systemic factors take part in the mortality of patients with extensive burns. A positive blood or urine culture in patients with total body surface area burns of <30% should be kept in mind as a factor increasing mortality.