TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2013//
TI  - The determination of total burn surface area: How much difference?
JO  - Burns: journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
A1  - Giretzlehner, M.
A1  - Dirnberger, J.
A1  - Owen, R.
A1  - Haller, H. L.
A1  - Lumenta, D. B.
A1  - Kamolz, L-p
SP  - 1107
EP  - 1113
VL  - 39
IS  - 6
N2  - Burn depth and burn size are crucial determinants for assessing patients suffering from burns [1]. Therefore, a correct evaluation of these factors is optimal for adapting the appropriate treatment in modern burn care. Burn surface assessment is subject to considerable differences among clinicians [2]. This work investigated the accuracy among experts based on conventional surface estimation methods (e.g. "Rule of Palm", "Rule of Nines" or "Lund-Browder Chart"). The estimation results were compared to a computer-based evaluation method. Survey data was collected during one national and one international burn conference. The poll confirmed deviations of burn depth/size estimates of up to 62% in relation to the mean value of all participants. In comparison to the computer-based method, overestimation of up to 161% was found. We suggest introducing improved methods for burn depth/size assessment in clinical routine in order to efficiently allocate and distribute the available resources for practicing burn care.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0305-4179
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2013.01.021
ID  - ref1
ER  -