Fluid resuscitation based on pulse contour cardiac output monitoring is associated with improved prognosis in adult severe burn patients: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: A monitoring method is needed to further guide fluid resuscitation in severe burn injury. This study was performed to investigate the effects of pulse contour cardiac output (PCCO) monitoring on the prognosis of adult severe burns patients.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study enrolling patients from January 2015 to December 2020, who were divided into a control group receiving conventional monitoring and a study group receiving PCCO monitoring. The primary outcomes were 28-day mortality and total mortality, and the secondary outcomes included burn-related complications and the length of hospital stay and ICU stay. Multivariable logistic regression analysis and linear regression analysis were performed to determine the risk factors of burns-related complications and length of hospital stay in enrolled patients.

Results: A total of 109 patients in the control group and 82 patients in the study group were enrolled. While the area of full thickness burn was much higher in the control group than in the study group (P=0.021), no significant difference was found in other characteristics between the two groups. During fluid resuscitation, the fluid volume ratio of the study group was significantly different from that of the control group, and both in the first 24 hours and the second 24 hours, the resuscitation fluid volume ratio and colloid volume ratio was significantly higher in the control group than in the study group (all P<0.001). Eight patients died during treatment, and there were more patients experiencing AKI and ARDS in the control group than in the study group (P=0.029 and 0.016). The lengths of hospital stay and ICU stay in the study group was much shorter than in the control group (P<0.001 and 0.005). In addition, TBSA was an important risk factor for both AKI and ARDS, and the existence of inhalation injury and older age increased the incidence of ARDS. Higher TBSA, inhalation injury, and burn-related complications were related to longer hospital stay in enrolled patients.

Conclusions: Fluid resuscitation according to PCCO monitoring can effectively reduce the volume of colloid and overall fluid volume and reduce the incidence of burns-related complications and shorten the length of hospital stay.