Methamphetamine-Related Burns in the Cornbelt

• Published in: Journal of burn care & research 2008-07, Vol.29 (4), p.574-579
• Main Authors: BURKE, Bridget A, LEWIS, Robert W, LATENSER, Barbara A, CHUNG, Joseph Y, WILLOUGHBY, Clark, KEALEY, G. Patrick, WIBBENMEYER, Lucy A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Burn Units; Burns; Burns, Chemical - epidemiology; Burns, Chemical - pathology; Case-Control Studies; Central Nervous System Stimulants - adverse effects; Central Nervous System Stimulants - urine; Crime; Dermatology; Explosions; Hospital Costs; Humans; Injury Severity Score; Insurance, Health - statistics & numerical data; Length of Stay - statistics & numerical data; Medical sciences; Medically Uninsured; Methamphetamine - adverse effects; Methamphetamine - urine; Middle Aged; Midwestern United States - epidemiology; Retrospective Studies; Street Drugs - adverse effects; Street Drugs - urine; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Violence
• ISSN: 1559-047X; 1559-0488
• DOI: 10.1097/BCR.0b013e31817db832

Methamphetamine (MA) is a highly addictive drug that is easily manufactured from everyday household products and chemicals found at local farm stores. The proliferation of small MA labs has led to a dramatic increase in patients sustaining thermal injury while making and/or using MA. We hypothesized that these patients have larger injuries with longer hospital stays, and larger, nonreimbursed hospital bills compared with burn patients not manufacturing or using MA. In a retrospective case-control study, all burn patients >or=16 years of age admitted to our burn center from January 2002 to December 2005 were stratified into two groups based on urine MA status. Of the 660 burn patients >or=16 years of age admitted during this 4 year period, urine drug screens were obtained at admission on 410 patients (62%); 10% of urine drug screens were MA (+). MA (+) patients have larger burns compared with MA (-) patients (9.3 vs 8.6% body surface area burns), have higher rates of inhalation injuries (20.4 vs 9.3%, P = .015), and more nonthermal trauma (13.0 vs 3.1%, P = .001). When compared with MA (-) patients, MA (+) patients require longer hospital stays (median 9.5 vs 7.0 days, P = .036), accrue greater hospital bills per day (dollars 4292 vs dollars 2797, P = .01), and lack medical insurance (66.7 vs 17.7%, P < .0001). The epidemic of MA use and its manufacture mandates that burn centers monitor patients for MA use and develop and institute protocols to ensure proper care of this increasingly costly population.