Bioengineering methods were useful in evaluating multiple characteristics during wound healing: (i) reflectance colourimetry for skin colour, (ii) evaporimetry to measure transepidermal water loss as an indicator of barrier function, (iii) laser Doppler perfusion imaging to assess cutaneous blood flow, and (iv) ballistometry to measure the mechanical properties of skin hardness and elasticity. Perhaps the most useful method was evaporimetry, as a restored barrier function was the best indicator of healed wounds. The use of reflectance colourimetry and ballistometry will continue in future wound healing studies for their contributions in judging cosmetic and functional outcomes. While useful, laser Doppler perfusion imaging was found to be rather time consuming. This methodology will be limited in the future to burn depth estimation prior to treatment, and for evaluation of pharmaceuticals specifically designed to improve or sustain blood flow into damaged areas.

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ObjectiveTo compare the long-term clinical and histologic outcome of immediate autografting of full-thickness burn wounds ablated with a high-power continuous-wave C02 laser to sharply d6-brided wounds in a porcine model. Summary Background DataContinuous-wave CO2 lasers have performed poorly as tools for burn excision because the large amount of thermal damage to viable subeschar tissues precluded successful autografting. However, a new technique, in which a high-power laser is rapidly scanned over the eschar, results in eschar vaporization without significant damage to underlying viable tissues, allowing successful immediate autografting. MethodsFull-thickness paravertebral burn wounds measuring 36 cm2 were created on 11 farm swine. Wounds were ablated to adipose tissue 48 hours later using either a surgical blade or a 1 50-Watt continuous-wave CO2 laser deflected by an x-y galvanometric scanner that translated the beam over the tissue surface, removing 200 ,um of tissue per scan. Both sites were immediately autografted and serially evaluated clinically and histologically for 180 days. ResultsThe laser-treated sftes were nearly bloodless. The mean residual thermal damage was 0.18 ± 0.05 mm. The mean graft take was 96 ± 1 1% in manual sftes and 93 ± 8% in laser sites. On postoperative day 7, the thickness of granulation tissue at the graftwound bed interface was greater in laser-d6brded sites. By postoperative day 180, the manual and laser sites were histologicalty identical. Vancouver scar assessment revealed no differences in scarning at postoperative day 180. ConclusionsLong-term scarring, based on Vancouver scar assessments and histologic evaluation, was equivalent at 6 months in laserablated and sharply excised sites. Should this technology become practical, the potential clinical implications include a reduction in surgical blood loss without sacrifice of immediate engraftment rates or long-term outcome.Although early excision and grafting of deep dermal and full-thickness burns has improved patient survival rates,'

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