Studies of energy expenditure in 75 adult Chinese patients with burns covering between 5 and 98 per cent of the total body surface area (TBSA) gave the following formula for an optimal nutritional regimen: the daily calorie input should be 1000 x m2 (surface area) + 25 x per cent TBSA. Glucose should provide between 55 and 60 per cent of the calories, fat between 20 and 30 per cent, and protein between 15 and 20 per cent. The calorie to nitrogen ratio should lie between 150 and 170 to 1.