Rule of Nine

This set of medical illustrations depicts the "Rule of Nines" for body areas. It divides the body into sections that represent nine percent of the total body surface area (TBSA). It can be used in conjunction with adult burn patients to determine the TBSA that has been burned. Sections include the head and neck, arms, torso (chest, anterior abdomen, upper and lower back), perineum and legs.


To approximate the percentage of burned surface area, the body has been divided into eleven
sections:
• Head
• Right arm
• Left arm
• Chest
• Abdomen
• Upper back
• Lower back
• Right thigh
• Left thigh
• Right leg (below the knee)
• Left leg (below the knee)
Each of these sections takes about nine percent of the body's skin to cover it. Added all together,
these sections account for 99 percent. The genitals make up the last one percent. To apply the
rule of nines, add up all the areas of the body that are burned deep enough to cause blisters or
worse (2nd or 3rd degree burns).