The Influence of Burn Wound Dressings on Laser Doppler Imaging Assessment of a Standardized Cutaneous Injury Model

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of burn wound dressings on Laser Doppler imaging assessment of a cutaneous injury model. A healthy volunteer was subjected to a standardized mechanical stimulus to produce a triple response. This was scanned under ideal conditions using the moor LDI2 before and after application of the following dressings: GLAD Wrap , Bactigras, Hypafix, Omiderm, DuoDERM, Acticoat, and Avance. The triple response was readily and consistently detected on the LDI blood flow image. Glad Wrap, Bactigras, Hypafix, Omiderm, and DuoDERM all had minimal adverse impact on the Laser Doppler blood flow image. Acticoat and Avance prevented detection of the triple response. In addition, there was a false-positive blood flow image with the Acticoat dressing positioned with the silver colored surface uppermost. Dressings transparent to the near infrared spectrum allowed detection of a standardized cutaneous injury model under ideal conditions. Laser Doppler imaging might therefore be used to assess a burn wound without removal of such a dressing. This would have implications for the selection and use of dressings in the treatment of burn patients, especially in an ambulatory care setting.

Friction Burns in Children

“…[13][14][15]17 Although the majority of children with friction burns will receive operative care primarily on the basis of clinical criteria, including any associated deeper injuries, rate of wound epithelialization, and healing by contracture, the potential limitations of LDI in this setting need to be recognized by burns clinicians.…”

Medical management of paediatric burn injuries: Best practice

“…LDI has been shown to have a sensitivity and specificity of 90 and 96%, respectively, in paediatric burns when performed within 36 and 72 h of the burn injury 50 . Further studies have confirmed its validity independent of clinical examination, even when performed through dressings transparent to the near‐infrared electromagnetic spectrum 51–53 . LDI has been shown to decrease the time to grafting decision, and future studies will evaluate the accuracy of scans performed within the first 48 h of burn injury 54 …”

“…50 Further studies have confirmed its validity independent of clinical examination, even when performed through dressings transparent to the near-infrared electromagnetic spectrum. [51][52][53] LDI has been shown to decrease the time to grafting decision, and future studies will evaluate the accuracy of scans performed within the first 48 h of burn injury. 54 Despite its accuracy, LDI requires a reasonably co-operative patient for the duration of the scan, which may take several a b Fig.…”

Noninvasive assessment of burn wound severity using optical technology: A review of current and future modalities

“…The interpretation of LDI blood flow maps is likewise unclear in the presence of anemia, cellulitis, or peripheral vascular disease. Surface moisture, topical medications, and transparent dressings can also all alter LDI measurements [26]. Where the tissue surface slopes, artifacts may result, making recorded signals difficult to interpret.…”