Mortality and Body Mass Index in Burn Patients: Experience from a Tertiary Referral Burn Center in Southern Iran

The role of obesity has been widely studied as a determinant factor of increasing mortality in surgical patients. In this study we aimed to investigate the association of mortality determinants with obesity classification and BMI score in burn patients admitted to a tertiary referral center in Southern Iran. 

In this retrospective cross-sectional study, medical profiles of burn patients admitted from 2016 to 2017 were obtained from Amiralmomenin Burn Hospital, a tertiary referral burn center affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Demographic, and clinical characteristics as well as patient outcomes were recorded to determine prognostic factors in fatal burns based on anthropometric measurements. 

Among 101 patients who were enrolled in this study including 73 males and 28 females, mean age was 34.85±12.04 years, total burn surface area (TBSA) was 37.37 (10.50%), BMI was 25.46±5.33 kg/m2 and hospital stay was 22.28±13.62 days. Overall mortality rate was 24.7% with 25 expired cases. Logistic regression demonstrated significant association of older age, male gender, and greater TBSA with mortality. However, difference in mortality rate in patients with BMI of 25 kg/m2 (27.4%) in comparison to patients with BMI<25 kg/m2 (18%) did not reach statistical significance.

Although patients with higher BMI had increased mortality rate following burn injury, this finding showed no significant association. Further studies with larger samples may be necessary to conclude a causal association between BMI and mortality in burn patients.