Severe burns are more dangerous for kidney and heart disease

A research team from MedUni Vienna has proven for the first time that chronic kidney and cardiovascular diseases have a negative impact on the survival rate of burn victims. The study was recently published in the specialized journal Surgery. Despite tremendous medical advances, severe burns remain potentially life-threatening injuries, MedUni announced in a press release on Wednesday.

The study included data from 1,193 patients treated in the intensive care unit for severe burn injuries at the University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at MedUni/AKH Vienna between 2000 and 2019. Studies have shown that 48.6% of burn victims who suffer from impaired kidney function did not survive their severe burns. Among patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, about a third could not be saved.

“It is pleasing that we were also able to show in our study that the prognosis of patients with serious burns improves from year to year as a result of the continuous development of treatment options,” explained study leader Annika Resch. Burn accidents are among the most common accidents worldwide, and are estimated to be responsible for approximately 180,000 deaths annually. Major burns are serious injuries that require several weeks of treatment in specialized facilities and are also considered a leading cause of chronic physical disabilities.

As an aid in decision-making regarding therapeutic measures and to assess the probability of survival of those affected, doctors have access to so-called clinical scores, which take the relevant criteria into account. Previous diseases have not yet been included in these models. “Future studies should show whether our findings can be integrated into these and other findings,” Resch said.