Document Detail


Obesity: influence on length of hospital stay for the pediatric burn patient.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20182371     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Childhood obesity is a major public health problem in the United States and is associated with numerous comorbidities. The relationship of obesity to risk of traumatic injury and recovery has been described, although not in depth. In adults with burns, obesity has been linked to negative impact on functional outcomes as well as increased mortality. Less is known about the impact of obesity on children with burns. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effect of obesity on length of hospital stay (LOS) among admitted pediatric burn patients. A secondary objective was to compare the difference in burn characteristics between obese and nonobese burn patients. To explore these questions, a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 0 to 18 years admitted to a children's hospital burn unit between February 1, 2000, and September 30, 2006 was performed. For the purposes of this study, obesity was defined as weight-for-length (<2 years of age) or body mass index (> or =2 years of age) > or =95th percentile for age and gender. Patients who had concomitant, nonburn injuries were not included in the study. LOS was measured in days, and an initial univariate analysis examined the association of clinical and demographic factors with LOS. To adjust for confounding, those factors that were found to be significantly associated with LOS were entered into a stepwise linear regression. A total of 528 patients were included in the study group, 17.4% of whom were obese. Obese patients were more likely to suffer a burn of a high-risk anatomic area (72.8% vs 60.8%). Median LOS for obese patients was significantly higher than nonobese (9.3 vs 7.1 days, P < .05). In the adjusted model, factors significantly associated with LOS included total body surface area burned, percent full thickness burn, Medicaid insurance status, and obesity. After controlling for these factors, obese children had a 6.5% longer LOS than nonobese children. This interesting finding raises the question of which factors are responsible for the increased length of stay for obese children hospitalized with burns. Investigating factors such as rate of complications, slower healing, or greater functional impairment may shed light on this finding.
Authors:
Lina Patel; John D Cowden; Denise Dowd; Sarah Hampl; Noreen Felich
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association     Volume:  31     ISSN:  1559-0488     ISO Abbreviation:  J Burn Care Res     Publication Date:    2010 Mar-Apr
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-03-02     Completed Date:  2010-06-17     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101262774     Medline TA:  J Burn Care Res     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  251-6     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Hospital and Clinics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri 64108, USA.
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Burns / complications*
Chi-Square Distribution
Child
Child, Hospitalized*
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Length of Stay / statistics & numerical data*
Linear Models
Male
Obesity / complications*
Questionnaires
Registries
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Statistics, Nonparametric

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Circulating proteasomes after burn injury.
Next Document:  Candida in Burns: Risk Factors and Outcomes.