Accuracy of Prehospital Care Providers in Determining Total Body Surface Area Burned in Severe Pediatric Thermal Injury

Accurate measurement of total body surface area (TBSA) burned is a key factor in the care of pediatric patients with burn, especially those with large thermal injuries. There is a paucity of data on the accuracy of these measurements by prehospital, nonburn center, and emergency department (ED) providers, which can have drastic implications for patient management and outcomes. We sought to determine the accuracy of these estimates for large pediatric burns. A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients with TBSA ≥10% admitted to an American Burn Association (ABA)-verified pediatric burn center from 2007 to 2015. Final TBSA was determined by pediatric burn surgeons and compared with prehospital emergency medical service providers, outside hospital physicians for transferred patients, and burn center ED physicians. Statistical significance was determined using a paired t-test with P < 0.05. A total of 139 patients ≤18 years of age met inclusion criteria, with an average TBSA of 18.9 ± 1.1%, weight 23.7 ± 1.6 kg and age of 5.4 ± 0.41 years. When compared in a pairwise fashion to the TBSA values determined by pediatric burn surgeons, estimates of TBSA were higher by: prehospital emergency medical service providers, 40.0% (n = 67, P < 0.0001); outside hospital physicians, 18.7% (n = 46, P = 0.0009), and burn center ED physicians, 7.2% (n = 120, P = 0.0117). TBSA burn estimates for pediatric patients by prehospital, nonburn center, and ED providers are significantly higher than those recorded by burn surgeons at an ABA-verified pediatric burn center. These inaccuracies in TBSA measurement may have profound clinical implications.