Defining the Ratio of Outcomes to Resources for Triage of Burn Patients in Mass Casualties

Abstract

Management of a mass casualty involving burn patients that overwhelms local resources will likely require a triage process in which limited resources are devoted to the patients with the highest likelihood of survival. No objective criteria exist which define how patients could be categorized in such a situation. A table that classifies patients according to their anticipated survival from burn injury, and the resources required to achieve that survival, is presented here. The limitations and restrictions of applying such a guideline are discussed in detail.