Resuscitation fluid volume and abdominal compartment syndrome in patients with major burns.

Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is rarely reported as a complication of severe burn. This study clarified the risk of burned patients with and without ACS, especially regarding the resuscitation fluid volume. Extensively burned patients admitted to our burn unit from January 2003, through to June 2004, were examined. Vital signs, blood gas analysis, bladder pressure to estimate intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), peak inspiratory pressure (PIP), resuscitation fluid volume, and urine output (UO) were analyzed. Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) was defined as an IAP of more than 30 cm of H2O. Eight of 48 patients suffering from a more than 30% total burn surface area developed ACS in 18.3+/-4.9 h. In these patients, IAP (49+/-12 cmH2O), PIP (50+/-16 cmH2O), heart rate (115+/-8/min), and PaCO2 (54.6+/-10.1 mmHg) were higher than normal, and their resuscitation volume was 0.40+/-0.11 L/kg. Also, a significant correlation between the IBP, PIP and resuscitation volume was observed. Most patients with severe burns required more than 300 mL/kg of resuscitation fluid for the first 24 h after injury that led to ACS and had higher HR, IBP, PIP and PaCO2 despite arterial pressure showing no significant difference.

Effects of escharotomy as abdominal decompression on cardiopulmonary function and visceral perfusion in abdominal compartment syndrome with burn patients.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) can become fatal; however, it has rarely been described as a complication of burn injury. This study clarified the physiologic results of abdominal decompression (AD) for ACS in patients with burn injury in detail. METHODS: Extensively burned patients admitted to our burn unit between January 2003 and February 2004 were prospectively monitored by pulmonary artery catheter. Physiologic parameters from the catheter, blood gas analysis, intrabladder pressure as a parameter of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), peak inspiratory pressure, and urine output (UO) were compared before and after escharotomy as AD in patients with ACS. RESULTS: Eight of 36 patients who had sustained more than 30% total body surface area burn developed ACS requiring AD in 18.3 +/- 4.9 hours. AD significantly decreased IAP (52 +/- 9 cm H2O vs. 26 +/- 7 cm H2O), peak inspiratory pressure (53 +/- 13 cm H2O vs. 35 +/- 6 cm H2O), heart rate, and Paco2, and increased cardiac index (1.6 +/- 0.7 L/min/m2 vs. 2.5 +/- 0.9 L/min/m2), abdominal perfusion pressure (50 +/- 11 mm Hg vs. 72 +/- 17 mm Hg), UO (0.45 +/- 0.46 mL/h/kg vs. 2.0 +/- 2.1 mL/h/kg), and oxygen delivery index (290 +/- 195 mL/m2/min vs. 455 +/- 218 mL/m2/min). Impaired oxygen consumption index increased (86 +/- 43 mL/m2/min vs. 153 +/- 58 mL/m2/min) after AD. CONCLUSION: In patients with severe burn injury, elevated IAP makes pulmonary artery wedge pressure and UO unreliable indices of preload or intravascular volume, and decreases abdominal perfusion in the resuscitation period. AD in these patients significantly improves the ventilation, hemodynamic parameters, and oxygen metabolism.