Changes in body composition of burn patients during the phases of response to trauma.
Andressa Maranhão de Arruda, Patrícia Calado Ferreira Pinheiro Gadelha, Bruna Lúcia de Mendonça Soares and 3 others
PMID 38055487WHAT IT FOUND
Burn patients lost weight, body mass index, fat-free mass and skeletal muscle mass between admission and day 7.
Total body water stayed stable, so the loss was real tissue depletion, not fluid shifts. BMI alone misses this and indirect assessment is needed.
Key findings
01Patients lost weight, BMI, fat-free mass and skeletal muscle mass from admission to day 7, while total body water did not change significantly.
02Fat mass increased in women but not in men over the same period.
03Laboratory markers including hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, urea, creatinine, C-reactive protein and platelets changed significantly between the two time points.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample of 58 patients, which limits generalisability. Patients had relatively small burns, with a mean total body surface area of 10.8%, so findings may not apply to severe burns. The equations used to estimate skeletal muscle mass and index were not validated specifically for burn patients. Only two time points were measured, within 72 hours and on day 7, so longer-term changes were not captured. Patients had to be able to walk and have an unaffected limb, excluding those with the most severe or functionally limiting injuries.
Declared interests
The research was funded by the Foundation for Support of Science and Technology of the State of Pernambuco and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel in Brazil. No commercial conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that stable total body water means stable body composition. The study found significant loss of fat-free and skeletal muscle mass even though hydration status did not change, so relying on weight or fluid balance alone will miss early muscle depletion.