🔥 Burn Sepsis Screening (ABA 2007)
This tool screens for burn sepsis using the American Burn Association 2007 consensus triggers, since severe burns produce a baseline systemic inflammatory state that makes standard SIRS/sepsis criteria unreliable.
Burn Sepsis Screening (ABA 2007)
Temperature > 39°C or < 36.5°C
Progressive tachycardia > 110 bpm
Progressive tachypnea (non-ventilated > 25/min or ventilated minute ventilation > 12 L/min)
Platelets < 100,000/µL (after ≥ 3 days of resuscitation)
Hyperglycemia (non-diabetic: untreated glucose > 200 mg/dL or insulin ≥ 7 U/h or > 25%/24h increase in requirement)
Enteral feeding intolerance > 24 h (distension/residual 2× feeding rate/diarrhea > 2500 mL/d)
Confirmed or suspected infection present
When to use
Use in the burn ICU to flag possible sepsis: ≥ 3 of the 6 triggers together with a confirmed or suspected infection prompts a sepsis workup and treatment.
How it works
Six triggers (temperature, progressive tachycardia, progressive tachypnea, thrombocytopenia after ≥ 3 days, hyperglycemia, enteral feeding intolerance). Sepsis = ≥ 3 triggers AND confirmed/suspected infection.
Key points
- Because post-burn hypermetabolism mimics SIRS, the ABA created burn-specific triggers rather than relying on generic sepsis criteria; the final call remains a prospective team decision. (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim)
- Thrombocytopenia is counted only after ≥ 3 days of resuscitation, when early dilutional changes have settled.
- The triggers correlate only modestly with bacteremia, so a positive screen prompts a source search rather than confirming infection.
References
Decision support for licensed clinicians only; not a substitute for clinical judgement, diagnosis or local protocols.