Physical and psychologic rehabilitation outcomes for pediatric patients who suffer 80% or more TBSA, 70% or more third degree burns

Advances in medical management have dramatically decreased the mortality of children with massive burn injuries, which raises many questions about the expected quality of life for these young survivors. In this article, we address this issue by examining the functional and psychological adaptation of 41 young survivors with 88% mean total body surface area (TBSA) burns and 85% mean third degree TBSA burns. Patient scores were compared with normative data on standardized psychological measures of adjustment and on performance of age appropriate activities of daily living (ADL) skills. Thirty-three of the 41 patients (80%) were independent in basic ADL skills. Eighty-six percent of the patients who were aged 10 years and older were independent in advanced ADL skills. Patients with amputated fingers were significantly more dependent in ADL skills than those without amputations (P < .05). Mean psychosocial adjustment scores were within normal limits and were not significantly related to functional independence in ADL skills.