Urinary measurements
A urinary catheter is mandatory for monitoring fluid resuscitation in the patient with major burns. Also, a urinary catheter should be considered in patients with perineal burns.
The urine output gives a ready index of tissue perfusion. There are volume targets which should be attained in the first 24 hours after a major burn:
- adults: 0.5 mls per kilogram per hour
- children (less than 30 kilograms): 1.0 mls per kilogram per hour
Thus, the typical output per hour for an adult would be between 30 and 50 mls per hour. In smaller children with larger burns, up to 2.0 mls/kg/hour would be expected.
Persistently high urine output may be indicative of excessive fluid resuscitation. Equally, oliguria is often the sequel of inadequate fluid resuscitation.
Urine with a dark red colour may indicate haemoglobinuria or myoglobinuria.
Related pages
Create an account to add page annotations
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.