Abstract
The standard clinical assessment parameter for skin wounds has been time to heal. There is a need for assessments that monitor the healing process and have been validated as indicators of clinical outcome. Although the Laser Doppler Perfusion Imager (LDPI) has been used to assess various wounds there is a need to validate it as a predictor of wound healing. Since this measure can have a high variability, previous studies were done to determine the key environmental and operational parameters as well to determine the correlation between blood perfusion and tissue oxygen levels. This helped determine the parameters to study as well the utility of using the change in blood perfusion after a provocation (e.g. heat) rather than the absolute blood perfusion level.The objectives of this study were to further determine operational parameters, to develop clinical protocols, and to begin the process of correlating blood perfusion values to clinical outcome. The effect of parameters such as light intensity, distance of the laser head from the skin, and skin pigmentation on blood perfusion were examined. Further, the relationship between skin temperature and blood perfusion was studied as well as the best ways to deliver this provocation clinically. Preliminary studies have helped determine the appropriate ranges for each parameter to give the most consistent readings. In addition, the best way to use the heat provocation has also been determined. In ongoing studies similar experiments are being carried out on pressure ulcers to assure these protocols work for clinical wounds. The best clinical protocols will then be used to validate the prognostic capabilities of the LDPI in terms of predicting wound healing rates (overall healing rate, epithelialization rate, and contraction rate).
Published Version
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