Introduction: Burns represent a major global health challenge. WHO reports 180,000 annual burn-related deaths, with UK hospitalization rates at 5 per 100,000 population (5.4% of serious traumatic injuries).Despite advances, severe burns maintain high mortality in specialized centers. The ABSI evaluates severity using gender, age, inhalation injury, full-thickness burns, and burned surface area percentage. The modified version adds obesity and comorbidities (1 point each).This study assesses the modified ABSI’s prognostic value for mortality in burn patients at Hospital Belén de Trujillo Plastic Surgery service (HBT-PS) (2019-2022). Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 140 adult burn patients (≥18 years) admitted to HBT-PS during 2019-2022 with complete modified ABSI data, excluding voluntary discharges and referrals.Modified ABSI was calculated using medical records (body surface area percentage, sex, age, obesity, comorbidities, deep burns, inhalation injury). Scores were categorized from “very low” (2-3) to “maximum” (12-13). Mortality was determined by physician-endorsed death certificates within 30 days post-admission.Data collection involved systematic medical record review documenting demographic information, burn characteristics, comorbidities, and modified ABSI scores. Results: The mortality prevalence was 10.7%. Deceased patients were older (49.00±9.53 vs. 39.18±13.77 years; p=0.008). Clinical factors associated with increased mortality included female sex (73.33%; OR: 4.72; p=0.007), obesity (73.33%; OR: 12.20; p=0.001), and diabetes mellitus type 2 (73.33%; OR: 8.34; p=0.001). Burn-specific variables showed larger burn areas in deceased patients (53.67±9.34% vs. 24.63±5.71%; p=0.001), as well as higher rates of inhalation injury (OR: 3.25; p=0.066) and full-thickness burns (p=0.001). Modified ABSI scores were significantly higher in deceased patients (12.47±0.74 vs. 6.83±1.24; p< 0.001), with “maximum” categories predominating (86.67%). Conclusions: The modified ABSI index is a valuable predictor of mortality in burn patients, supported by significant associations with clinical and burn-specific variables. This tool can improve clinical decision-making, resource prioritization, and ultimately patient outcomes in burn care settings.
Garcia et al. (Sun,) studied this question.