rule_of_nines: Wallace Rule of Nines for Burn Area Assessment

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

Wallace Rule of Nines for Burn Area Assessment

Description

Calculates the Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) percentage involved in burn injuries using the Wallace Rule of Nines. This estimation is crucial for determining fluid resuscitation requirements (e.g., via the Parkland Formula). The function allows inputting the percentage of each anatomical region that is affected (0-100

Usage

rule_of_nines(head_percent, left_arm_percent, right_arm_percent,
              anterior_torso_percent, posterior_torso_percent,
              left_leg_percent, right_leg_percent, genitalia_percent,
              patient_type = "adult")

Arguments

head_percent	Numeric (0-100). Percentage of the head/neck surface area that is burned.
left_arm_percent	Numeric (0-100). Percentage of the left arm surface area that is burned.
right_arm_percent	Numeric (0-100). Percentage of the right arm surface area that is burned.
anterior_torso_percent	Numeric (0-100). Percentage of the anterior torso (chest/abdomen) surface area that is burned.
posterior_torso_percent	Numeric (0-100). Percentage of the posterior torso (back) surface area that is burned.
left_leg_percent	Numeric (0-100). Percentage of the left leg surface area that is burned.
right_leg_percent	Numeric (0-100). Percentage of the right leg surface area that is burned.
genitalia_percent	Numeric (0-100). Percentage of the genital area that is burned.
patient_type	String. "adult" (default) or "child". Adjusts the weights (Head 9

Details

Adult Weights: Head (9%), Each Arm (9%), Anterior Torso (18%), Posterior Torso (18%), Each Leg (18%), Genitalia (1%). Child Weights: Head (18%), Each Arm (9%), Anterior Torso (18%), Posterior Torso (18%), Each Leg (13.5%), Genitalia (1%).

Value

A list containing:

Total_Body_Surface_Area_Burned	The calculated total burn percentage.
Inputs	A summary of the extent of injury entered for each region.

References

Wallace AB. The exposure treatment of burns. Lancet. 1951;1(6653):501-504. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(51)91975-7

Examples

# Example 1: Adult with burns on whole left arm and half of chest
# L Arm (100% burned -> 9 TBSA), R Arm (0%), Ant Torso (50% burned -> 9 TBSA), others 0
# Total TBSA = 9 + 9 = 18%
rule_of_nines(0, 100, 0, 50, 0, 0, 0, 0, "adult")

# Example 2: Child with burns on entire head and right leg
# Head (100% -> 18 TBSA), R Leg (100% -> 13.5 TBSA)
# Total TBSA = 18 + 13.5 = 31.5%
rule_of_nines(100, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 100, 0, "child")

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.