Patient selection: adult admitted to a burn center
Comorbid conditions: present prior to admission and not caused by burn injury
Outcomes impacted by pre-burn comorbid conditions:
(1) mortality rate
(2) length of hospitalization
High impact (odds ratio 10):
(1) HIV infection with or without AIDS
Moderate impact (odds ratios 5):
(1) renal disease
(2) liver disease
(3) malignancy with metastases
Low to moderate impact (odds ratios 1.5-3):
(1) pulmonary circulation disorder
(2) congestive heart disease
(3) obesity
(4) malignancy without metastases
(5) peripheral vascular disease
(6) alcohol abuse
(7) cardiac arrhythmias
(8) neurological disorders other than cerebrovascular disease, paralysis and dementia
Problems for the patient increase as the number of comorbid conditions increase.
