A 49 year old male has burns on the front of both arms and his entire chest above the costal margin. What percentage of burns did he receive?

To calculate the percentage of the body burned, the "Rule of Nines" is typically used in adults. According to this rule, the body is divided into sections, each representing approximately 9% of the total body surface area.

In this case, the individual has burns on the front of both arms and the entire chest above the costal margin. The front of one arm accounts for about 4.5%, so the front of both arms would total 9%. The chest, which is considered to be 18% of the total body surface area, includes the upper torso and effectively doubles if considering only the anterior aspect above the costal margin.

Calculating the total:

• Front of both arms: 9%
• Entire anterior chest: 18%

Adding these together gives a total burn percentage of 27%. However, since the question appears to ask about the percentage of burns, it is actually assessed as 18% for just the chest being burned when considering the surface area effectively involved in the injury.

Thus, if we consider the entire assessment for the front of the arms and upper chest region, a burn area totaling 18% accurately reflects the overall severity of burns for this particular patient based on the provided details.