Candida. A decreasing problem for the burned patient?

B. J. Grube, J. A. Marvin and D. M. Heimbach
Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle.

Multiple recent reports have suggested that Candida wound infection and sepsis are major complications of severe burn injury. Our current burn treatment plans include aggressive early burn excision and grafting, avoidance of invasive monitoring and central hyperalimentation lines, enteral nystatin, and judicious use of antibiotics. A retrospective review of 168 severely burned patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Washington Burn Center, Seattle, during the 18-month period from June 1984 through December 1985 was undertaken. Thirteen percent of these patients had one or more cultures positive for Candida from any site. Three patients (1.8%) developed Candida sepsis, which was diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs of sepsis, a positive blood culture for Candida, and at least two additional culture sites positive for Candida. All three patients were treated with amphotericin B. One of these patients died of Candida sepsis, for an overall mortality of 0.6%. Therefore, Candida septicemia was not a major cause of morbidity or mortality in our burn patients in the Intensive Care Unit during this 18-month period under the current management regimen.