Clinical outcome of HIV positive patients with moderate to severe burns

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a world wide and growing pr oblem. Little is found in the literature concerning the treatment and outco me of patients suffering from HIV infection who are treated for burns. The aim of this study was to assess whether the outcome of HIV positive patient s suffering From burn wounds differed from those who do not have HIV infect ion. Thirty three patients formed the HIV positive study group. HIV negativ e controls were matched for age, degree of burns, sex and inhalation injury . The mean age of the patients was 31.6 years and the mean total body surfa ce burn was 26.4%. There was no significant difference in the outcome of th e two groups in terms of mortality or treatment parameters measured, Two pa tients had stigmata of AIDS (tuberculosis) and both died. One patient, with a CD4 count of 228, developed severe necrotizing fasciitis. In keeping wit h other studies looking at the outcome of HIV positive patients in an Inten sive Care Unit setting, we concluded that a HIV positive patient, who suffe rs from a burn wound and has no stigmata of AIDS, should be treated similar ly to a HIV negative patient. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd and ISBI. All r ights reserved.