Factors contributing to the restoration of normothermia after hypothermia in people with a major burn injury in the first 24 h of hospital admission.

Background: People with burn injury experiencing hypothermia are at risk of serious complications such as shock, multisystem organ failure, and death. There is limited information available for health professionals with regard to factors that contribute to restoration of normothermia after hypothermia in people with a major burn injury.

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify factors that contribute to normothermia restoration after hypothermia in people with 10% or more total body surface area (TBSA) burn in the first 24 h of admission to a burn care hospital.

Methods: The study was guided by the Gearing Framework for retrospective chart audit. The sample comprised medical charts of all adult people (n = 113) with a burn injury more than 10% of their TBSA admitted to a single-site burn care hospital intensive care unit in Victoria, Australia, between May 31, 2013, and June 1, 2015. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample, and logistic regression was conducted to predict variables contributing to return to normothermia in people with burn injury. Charts with incomplete data were excluded.

Findings: The sample (n = 50) recorded a median initial temperature on admission to the emergency department (ED) of 35.4°C (range = 31.9-37.2°C) and took on an average of 6.2 (standard deviation [SD] = 4.96) hours to return to normothermia (36.5°C). Women took around 6 h longer than men to return to normothermia (mean = 11.14 h, SD = 5.58; mean = 5.38 h, SD = 4.41). Positive correlations were noted between TBSA%, the length of time between admission to the ED and the intensive care unit, and the hours taken to reach normothermia. Regression analysis suggests the initial recorded temperature on admission to the ED was the main predictor of the time body temperature takes to return to normothermia (β = .513, p < .001).

Conclusion: This study provides information for practice changes by highlighting the need for guidelines and education programs for health professionals to ensure the delivery of optimum care to people with burn injury.