Cardiovascular Biomarkers and Lung Edema in Severe Burns Patients

Burn injury leads to hypovolemic then distributive shock. Fluid resuscitation remains the cornerstone of initial treatment of burn shock. However, fluid rescucitation can lead to fluid overload, which manifests most notably as lung edema. The peptide NT-pro-BNP, a biomarker of cardiac congestion secreted by the myocardium, as well as plasma CD146, an endothelial factor involved in angiogenesis and a marker of vascular congestion, may help identifying patients with risk of pulmonary edema and hypoxia . Our hypothesis is that these biomarkers may predict the occurence of pulmonary edema in severe burns patients.