Prognostic factors associated with intra-hospital infection in adult burn patients

The experience accumulated over the last three decades in the early treatment of burns patients has radically changed the cause of death. It is now estimated that about 75% of mortality after burns is related to infections. The study aim was to identify the prognostic factors associated with intra-hospital infection in adult burn patients in Santiago de Cuba provincial plastic surgery and burn department. It was a prospective case-control and analytic study from September 2011 to August 2013 including all hospitalized patients. We found 58 cases of infection in 200 burns patients; the probability of infection was high from 46 years old and increasing the risk at 1.02 times per year from this age. 71% of our patients with infection had hypodermic burns and the flame was the most common causative agent. The risk of infection increased by 1.16 times per day of hospitalization, hypodermic burns increased the risk of infection by 2.15 fold. Age, day of hospitalization and depth of burns; especially those of the hypodermic type have been the prognostic factors of infection of greater influence in burns patient.