Previous research has demonstrated a correlation between burn injury and systemic cytokine response. Moreover, conflicting studies have identified burn wound fluid as being rich in either pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines that may serve to modulate the healing process. We hypothesized that the cellular makeup of burn wound exudate correlates to the depth of burn insult. To test this, we collected blister fluid from five patients with superficial partial thickness or deep partial-thickness burns admitted to our burn ICU. The cellular composition of the fluid was compared to that of whole blood from a healthy patient using flow cytometry. Any additional blister fluid was assayed for various cytokine expressions. The cellular constituency of superficial partial-thickness burn wound fluid appears to be predominated by lymphocytes whereas deep partial-thickness burn fluid is mostly made up of monocytes and granulocytes. Additionally, fluid from these deeper burns has a concentration of hepatocyte growth factor that was at least two times that seen in the fluid collected from the more superficial burns. Our data suggests a correlation between the cellular makeup of burn wound exudate and the depth of burn injury that may eventually serve as a surrogate measure of burn depth. Furthermore, these findings may offer insight into the possible mec hanisms that lead to spontaneous healing more superficial wounds versus the less predictable nature and clinical course seen with the deeper partial-thickness burns.