Expanding the Limits of Burn Care: Survival After a 92% Total Body Surface Area Burn

<b>Introduction</b>: Massive burns, particularly those exceeding 90% total body surface area (TBSA), represent one of the most demanding challenges in critical care and reconstructive surgery. Advances in resuscitation, early excision, and wound coverage techniques have improved survival rates, but despite these advances, mortality remains high, and standardized treatment protocols are lacking. <b>Case Report</b>: We report a case which demonstrates survival and meaningful recovery in an extreme case of massive burns. A 57-year-old woman sustained 92% TBSA burns following a gas explosion at her home. She developed burn shock requiring aggressive fluid resuscitation and vasopressor support. Due to extensive burns and limited donor sites, staged debridement with temporary allograft coverage was performed, followed by Meek micrografting for definitive wound closure. After 197 days in the Burn Unit and an additional three months of rehabilitation, she regained functional independence. <b>Conclusions:</b> While historically considered non-survivable, burns exceeding 90% TBSA are increasingly being successfully treated with multimodal strategies. This case highlights the importance of multidisciplinary care in redefining survival expectations for massive burn patients. As burn care continues to evolve, further research is needed to refine treatment strategies, enhance long-term functional outcomes and standardize protocols for these complex cases.

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Publication Details

Journal
European Burn Journal
Published
2025-10-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ebj6040056
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Burn Injury Management and Outcomes
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.35
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article

Expanding the Limits of Burn Care: Survival After a 92% Total Body Surface Area Burn

Filipe Marques da Costa, R. P. Rocha, Miguel Ângelo Andrade, Fátima Xambre et al.
1 citations
European Burn Journal
Burn Injury Management and Outcomes
1.35
article

Expanding the Limits of Burn Care: Survival After a 92% Total Body Surface Area Burn

Filipe Marques da Costa, R. P. Rocha, Miguel Ângelo Andrade, Fátima Xambre, Gaizka Ribeiro, Odete Martinho
article en
1 citations

Abstract

<b>Introduction</b>: Massive burns, particularly those exceeding 90% total body surface area (TBSA), represent one of the most demanding challenges in critical care and reconstructive surgery. Advances in resuscitation, early excision, and wound coverage techniques have improved survival rates, but despite these advances, mortality remains high, and standardized treatment protocols are lacking. <b>Case Report</b>: We report a case which demonstrates survival and meaningful recovery in an extreme case of massive burns. A 57-year-old woman sustained 92% TBSA burns following a gas explosion at her home. She developed burn shock requiring aggressive fluid resuscitation and vasopressor support. Due to extensive burns and limited donor sites, staged debridement with temporary allograft coverage was performed, followed by Meek micrografting for definitive wound closure. After 197 days in the Burn Unit and an additional three months of rehabilitation, she regained functional independence. <b>Conclusions:</b> While historically considered non-survivable, burns exceeding 90% TBSA are increasingly being successfully treated with multimodal strategies. This case highlights the importance of multidisciplinary care in redefining survival expectations for massive burn patients. As burn care continues to evolve, further research is needed to refine treatment strategies, enhance long-term functional outcomes and standardize protocols for these complex cases.

European Burn JournalVol. 6(4)
University of Lisbon (PT), Administração Regional de Saúde de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo (PT), Hospital de Santa Maria (PT)
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
Burn Injury Management and Outcomes
1.35
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Expanding the Limits of Burn Care: Survival After a 92% Total Body Surface Area Burn — Filipe Marques da Costa, R. P. Rocha, et al. · European Burn Journal (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS