Treatment of Copper Deficiency in Burns Affecting More Than 20% of Body Surface Area
Clinical Scenario
Major burns involving more than 20% of total body surface area are associated with significant ongoing copper losses, making this population particularly vulnerable to copper deficiency. Early, structured intervention is required to address this deficit during the acute and wound-healing phases.
Treatment Approach
Copper supplementation is indicated in patients with burns affecting more than 20% of body surface area. The regimen is tailored to the extent of the injury — the complete protocol specifies how the approach is adjusted based on burn surface area and wound status.
The full protocol includes the specific supplementation strategy, with dosing and duration scaled to the burned surface area. Access it below.
References
DOI: 10.1002/ncp.10328
- For patients with burns > 20% BSA, a supplementation of 3.5 mg IV copper/d, and even 4 mg/d, is proposed.
- Indeed, recent data from the same group suggest that higher doses of parenteral copper (4.8–5.0 mg/d) are required as long as wounds are open, with weekly monitoring.
- Duration of repletion will depend on burned surface: 7–8 days for burns 20%–40% BSA, 14 days for 40%–60% BSA, and 30 days if >60% BSA.
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