Analysis of risk factors of prolonged mechanical ventilation in patients with severe burn injury

BACKGROUND: Mechanical ventilation is an essential means of life support for patients with severe burns. However, prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) increases the incidence of complications and length of hospital stay. Therefore, studying the risk factors of mechanical ventilation duration is of great significance for reducing the duration of mechanical ventilation, reducing related complications, and improving the success rate of severe burn treatment. METHOD: This study was a retrospective study of patients with burns ≥30% of the area admitted to the BICU of Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital affiliated with Jinan University from January 2016 to January 2023 who were mechanically ventilated. Patients were classified into the prolonged mechanical ventilation group if they were mechanically ventilated for ≥21 days. Then, independent risk factors for prolonged mechanical ventilation were determined by logistic regression analysis of the collected data. RESULT: Of all the 112 enrolled patients, 79 had prolonged mechanical ventilation, with an incidence of 70.5%. Logistic regression analysis revealed that including abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI%) (P < 0.001), moderate and severe inhalation injury (P = 0.005, P = 0.044), albumin (P = 0.032), lactic acid (P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for prolonged mechanical ventilation. In addition, ventilator‐related complications were 44% in the PMV group and 21% in the non‐PMV group. CONCLUSION: ABSI%, inhalation injury, albumin, and lactic acid on admission are the risk factors for PMV in severe burn patients. In addition, ventilator‐related complications were higher in group PMV than in group non‐PMV in our study.