Patients With Combined Thermal and Intraabdominal Injuries: More Salvageable Than Not

Abstract

This study aims to better characterize the course and outcome of the uncommon subset of trauma patients with combined thermal and intraabdominal organ injuries. The National Trauma Data Bank was queried for burn patients with intraabdominal injury treated in all U.S. trauma centers from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2015. General demographics, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), shock index (SI), Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) for burn, Injury Severity Score (ISS), blood transfusions, and abdominal surgery were evaluated. During the 5-year study period, there were 334 burn patients with intraabdominal injury, 39 (13.2%) of which received abdominal surgery. Burn patients who underwent operations had more severe injuries reflected by higher SI, AIS, ISS, blood transfusion, and worse outcomes including higher mortality, longer hospital and ICU length of stay, and more ventilator days compared to patients who did not undergo an operation. Nonsurvivors also exhibited more severe injuries, and a higher proportion received abdominal operation compared to survivors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that GCS on arrival, SI, AIS, ISS, blood transfusion, and abdominal operation to be independent risk factors for mortality. Propensity score matching to control covariables (mean age, systolic blood pressure on arrival, GCS on arrival, SI, ISS, time to operation, blood transfusion, and comorbidities) showed that of trauma patients who received abdominal operation, those with concomitant burn injury exhibited a higher rate of complications but no significant difference in mortality compared to those without burns, suggesting that patients with concomitant burns are not less salvageable than nonburned trauma patients.