Liver Disease in Burn Injury: Evidence From a National Sample of 31,338 Adult Patients

Objective: To assess mortality risk and extent of increased length of hospital stay in patients with burn injury with preexisting liver disease. Methods: Records of 31,338 adults who were admitted with burns to 70 burn centers were reviewed from the American Burn Association National Burn Repository. Demographics, percentage burn, and medical characteristics of 180 patients with liver disease were compared with all patients without liver disease and to a propensity score–matched sample of 180 patients without liver disease. Risk of mortality as well as lengths of both intensive care and total stay were compared after matching for demographics, burn injury, and preexisting medical conditions. Results: Patients with liver disease were significantly more likely to have a history of a number of medical comorbidities, including alcohol abuse, drug abuse, a psychiatric diagnosis, chronic pulmonary disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Patients with liver disease were significantly more likely to die in the hospital (27.2% vs 6.9%, odds ratio = 5.0, 95% confidence interval = 3.6–7.0, P < .01), and this held even when compared with a propensity score–matched group of patients without liver disease, but with similar demographics, burn injury, and medical profiles. Lengths of both intensive care and total hospital stay were 122.5% (P < .01) and 86.7% (P < .01) longer, respectively, among patients with liver disease than among all other patients. In a matched sample, lengths of both intensive care and total stays were longer, albeit not significantly so (41.6%, P = .12; 35.5%, P = .07). Conclusions: Liver impairment worsens the prognosis in patients with thermal injury.