Changes in body composition of burn patients during the phases of response to trauma

OBJECTIVE: To assess the changes in body composition of burn patients through electrical bioimpedance in the phases of response to trauma. METHODS: a longitudinal observational study, carried out from October 2019 to March 2020. Sociodemographic, clinical, epidemiological, anthropometric and body composition data were collected. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS, considering a significance of 5%. The comparison between variables was performed using the paired Student’s t test. RESULTS: the sample consisted of 58 adult burn patients, with a mean age of 38.2±12.5 years. The mean body surface area (BSA) with burns was 10.8±7.3%. Nutritional assessment demonstrated a depletion of body weight, Body Mass Index, fat-free mass and muscle mass in the phases of response to trauma (p<0.005). CONCLUSION: metabolic alterations in the different phases of the metabolic response to trauma led to a depletion of the nutritional status of burn patients of both sexes during hospitalization.