rule of nines
Surgery and anaesthesia
Also known as: Lund-Browder chart · Neunerregel nach Wallace · Lund-Browder-Schema · dokuzlar kuralı · Lund-Browder şeması · Rule of nines and Lund-Browder chart (burn size, %TBSA)
What it is for
Methods to estimate the burned total body surface area (%TBSA). The rule of nines divides the adult body into regions worth 9 % or multiples of 9 %:
Classification
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Head and neck | 9 %. |
| Each arm | 9 %. |
| Front of trunk | 18 %. |
| Back of trunk | 18 %. |
| Each leg | 18 %. |
| Perineum/genitals | 1 %. |
| Children | body proportions differ (relatively larger head, smaller legs), so the adult rule of nines is inaccurate; age-adjusted charts are used. |
| Lund-Browder chart | a body diagram with age-specific percentages for each region (the head, thighs and lower legs vary with age); it is the more precise method, especially in children. |
| Palm method | the patient's palm including fingers is about 1 % of their body surface, useful for small or scattered burns. |
Source
The exposure treatment of burns
Lancet 1951;1:501–504 (Wallace AB); Lund CC, Browder NC, Surg Gynecol Obstet 1944;79:352–358
DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(51)91975-7
PMID: 14805109
- Edition
- Wallace rule of nines (1951) for adults; Lund and Browder chart (1944) for age-adjusted estimates
- Checked on
Summary of the published classification in our own words. Not a substitute for the original publication.
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