Usefulness of blood cultures in confirming septic complications in burn patients: evaluation of a new culture method.

A prospective evaluation of several techniques used to monitor thermally injured patients for septic complications was initiated. Thirty-eight extensively burned patients, at high risk for septic complications, were selected for study. Of these, 92% developed significant burn wound infection. Careful daily clinical evaluation and serial quantitative burn wound biopsy cultures provided the most effective means of establishing an early diagnosis of would sepsis. Serial blood cultures performed by the two different techniques were of very limited value in the recognition were not recovered until 5-10 days following documentation of heavy bacterial colonization of the burn wound.