Planimetry study of the percent of body surface represented by the hand and palm: sizing irregular burns is more accurately done with the palm.
THE JOURNAL OF BURN CARE & REHABILITATION 1995;
16:605-6. [PMID:
8582938 DOI:
10.1097/00004630-199511000-00008]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Sizing irregular burns is commonly done with use of the patient's hand as a template representing 1% of the body surface. To verify that this is accurate over a broad range of ages or to see if the surface of the palm is a more consistent template, a planimetry study was done. This revealed that the surface area of the palm averaged 0.52% total body surface area (+/- 0.07) and the palmar surface of the hand 0.85% total body surface area (+/- 0.08). The surface of the palm was a more consistent template and represented 0.5% of the body surface over a broad range of ages.
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