Revalidating the prognostic relevance of the Abbreviated Burn Severity Index (ABSI) - A twenty-year experience examining the performance of the ABSI score in consideration of progression and advantages of burn treatments from a single center in Vienna

Background The Abbreviated Burn Severity Index (ABSI) is a five-variable scale to help evaluate burn severity upon initial assessment. As other studies have been conducted with comparatively small patient populations, the purpose of this study is to revalidate the prognostic relevance of the ABSI in our selected population (N=1193) four decades after its introduction considering the progress in the treatment of severe burn injuries over the past decades. In addition, we evaluate whether comorbidities have an influence on the survival probability of severely burned patients. Methods In this retrospective study patient data from the Center for Severely Burned Patients of the General Hospital in Vienna were collected. Over a time period of 20 years a total of 1193 patients were included. To describe the prognostic accuracy of the ABSI regression models were used. Results The ABSI can still be used as a prognostic factor for the probability of survival of severely burned patients. The odds of passing increases by a factor of 2.059 for each unit increase in the ABSI with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.909. Over time, the likelihood of survival increased. The existence of chronic kidney disease has a negative impact on the survival probability of severely burned patients. Conclusion The ABSI can still be used to provide accurate information about the chances of survival of severely burned patients, however further exploration on the influence of chronic kidney disease on the survival probability and possibly additional points in the ABSI should be considered. The probability of survival has increased over the last 20 years.