Objective: To analyze the factors related to the change of energy expenditure in burned patients.
Methods: Indirect calorimetry was employed to detect energy expenditure (EE) dynamically in 45 cases of burned patients and to analyze their change.
Results: EE increased immediately postburn and reached top level in about one week (11, 443.78 plus minus 3, 295.32) kJ/d. EE value was positively correlated to the size of burn area. EE was also correlated to the development of the disease. The EE variation happened in the early postburn stage. The degree of variation was positively correlated to the size of burn area. The EE value in patients with medium size burn and inhalation injury was higher than that without inhalation injury. Postoperative EE decreased obviously in patients with major burn who had undergone escharectomy. EE in male patients was higher than that in female.
Conclusion: Postburn EE varied with some regularity, but was affected by burn depth and size, postburn time, inhalation injury, escharectomy, sex and individual difference.