Rapid Burn Assessor

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The determination of burned surface area and burn degree is one of the most important tasks when assessing a burn injury. The burned surface area is not only used for fluid resuscitation calculation, but also for calculating energy consumption, planning surgical procedures, etc. The burned surface area is usually estimated and the resulting estimation errors have been published multiple times. Especially small scattered areas are highly prone to estimation errors due to often inadequate application of the the “Palm Rule”.

The Rapid Burn Assessor uses a reference size, which is easily available and easy to use. Almost everybody nowadays has a mobile phone. Therefore, a mobile phone is always available and has a distinct surface area. This reference size can be used to objectively determine the size of burn injuries.

The application consists of two main screens: Configuration and Usage. The “Configuration” screen enables the user to define the size of various reference devices (e.g. mobile phone, business card, etc.) and to choose which device and BSA formula to use for the calculations. On the “Usage” screen the user defines height and weight of the patient and how often the selected reference device fits into the burn injury. The application then automatically calculates the TBSA percentage and surface area of the wound.

Publications have shown that the estimation of burn injuries is difficult and often results in high estimation errors. This can lead to suboptimal treatment and unnecessary additional procedures. The “Rapid Burn Assessor” is easy to use and improves the accuracy of the determination of the burn injury size.