TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessment of burn size in obese adults
T2 - a literature review
AU - Borhani-Khomani, Kaveh
AU - Partoft, Søren
AU - Holmgaard, Rikke
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Purpose: Obesity causes changes in the total body surface area as well as the distribution of skin surfaces. In burn management, three methods are commonly used to determine the surface area burned: the patient’s palm, the rule of nines, and the Lund-Browder chart. These methods rely on the distribution of skin surface, although none of these methods consider differences in body mass. This study investigates the relationship between body surfaces and body mass in the assessment of burn size to determine the validity of the conventional methods when applied to obese individuals. Methods: The current literature was reviewed using relevant electronic databases. The initial search yielded 247 results. Relevant articles were then reviewed. A total of seven publications fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results: The palmar surface area ranged between 0.59%–1.22%, depending on BMI, gender, and ethnicity, compared to 1% according to conventional methods. The palmar surface area of obese individuals approximated 0.7% of the total body surface area in Caucasians. The surface areas comprised 5%–7.5% of the total body surface area for each arm, 15%–20% for each leg, and 40%–52% for the trunk in obese or morbidly obese individuals, compared to 9%, 18%, and 36%, respectively, for normal-weight adults. Conclusions: The commonly used methods for assessment of burns should be used with caution when applied to obese burn patients, and the clinical parameters observed even more systematically.
AB - Purpose: Obesity causes changes in the total body surface area as well as the distribution of skin surfaces. In burn management, three methods are commonly used to determine the surface area burned: the patient’s palm, the rule of nines, and the Lund-Browder chart. These methods rely on the distribution of skin surface, although none of these methods consider differences in body mass. This study investigates the relationship between body surfaces and body mass in the assessment of burn size to determine the validity of the conventional methods when applied to obese individuals. Methods: The current literature was reviewed using relevant electronic databases. The initial search yielded 247 results. Relevant articles were then reviewed. A total of seven publications fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results: The palmar surface area ranged between 0.59%–1.22%, depending on BMI, gender, and ethnicity, compared to 1% according to conventional methods. The palmar surface area of obese individuals approximated 0.7% of the total body surface area in Caucasians. The surface areas comprised 5%–7.5% of the total body surface area for each arm, 15%–20% for each leg, and 40%–52% for the trunk in obese or morbidly obese individuals, compared to 9%, 18%, and 36%, respectively, for normal-weight adults. Conclusions: The commonly used methods for assessment of burns should be used with caution when applied to obese burn patients, and the clinical parameters observed even more systematically.
KW - Burn injury
KW - Lund-Browder chart-body mass index
KW - obesity
KW - palmar surface area
KW - rule of nines
U2 - 10.1080/2000656X.2017.1310732
DO - 10.1080/2000656X.2017.1310732
M3 - Review
C2 - 28417654
AN - SCOPUS:85017615069
SN - 2000-656X
VL - 51
SP - 375
EP - 380
JO - Journal of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery
JF - Journal of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery
IS - 6
ER -
