nutrition after major burns

Last reviewed 01/2018

Energy expenditure in a burns patients may exceed 6000 kcal/day (25 kJ/day) because of:

• heat loss
• plasma loss
• hypermetabolism

Often the patient is too ill to eat and so alternative means of delivery should be considered. The gut is always the first choice for delivery of nutrition.

A dietician should be an integral member of the burns team.