Use of the abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI) as a severity scale in a burn unit in Mexico: a 2-year experience.

Background: Burns are the most devastating form of trauma; they have existed since immemorial times and a crucial point in its study and treatment are the severity indexes and predictors of mortality. Methods: Patients admitted to a specialized burn unit in Mexico for 2 years were included, to whom the abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI) was calculated. The main variables to evaluate were days of hospital stay, sepsis development, mortality percentage, sex, age, percentage of burned body surface, and among others. Results: Seventy patients were divided into six risk groups, 80% men and 20% women, observing that the higher the ABSI score, the greater the number of days of hospital stay, the higher the percentage of sepsis development, the lower the percentage of skin graft integration and the higher mortality. Conclusions: Burning risk and mortality rates are essential in burned patients management, as they determine treatment priorities, standardizes patient treatment, and function as quality indicators. ABSI is a practical, fast, reproducible, low-cost, and effective screening system to stratify burned patients and correlates with the total days of hospital stay and in the intensive care unit. Level of evidence: Level IV, diagnostic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]