Plasma Free Hemoglobin as A Diagnostic Tool for Assessment of Burn Depth

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Plastic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.

10.21608/ejsur.2025.344792.1316

Abstract

Background: A special interest has been drawn lately trying to fill some gaps in understanding the pathophysiology and
the most suitable multidisciplinary modalities for burn care and management.
Objective: To detect correlation between plasma free hemoglobin (PFHb) levels and depth of burn to act as a prognostic
indicator for burn treatment.
Patients and Methods: This observational study was conducted on 54 patients, presenting to Kasr EL Eini Cairo
University Hospital seeking treatment for burn injuries, in the period between July 2018 and 2020.
Results: All patients showed moderate hemolysis and none showed severe hemolysis. There was statistically significant
difference between deep and superficial burns as regard PFHb on admission, at 6 and 12h, and no statistically significant
difference as regards PFHb at 48h. The correlation between total body surface area percentage and levels of PFHb on
admission, at 6, at 12, and 48h of admission is a moderately positive correlation.
Conclusion: PFHb has the potential to be a useful diagnostic tool. This is the first laboratory test to show a link between
depth of burn and total body surface area. It is suggested that the level of PFHb after burn injury is related to the depth
and size of burn. So it is a valuable diagnostic tool in burn assessment.

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