An audit of the use of laser Doppler imaging (LDI) in the assessment of burns of intermediate depth

Abstract

This is the first report of an evaluation of the use of a laser Doppler imager (LDI) scanner in the assessment of burn depth in patients. It is based on a 6-month, prospective audit of 76 burns of intermediate depth. Clinical and LDI assessments of burn wound depth were recorded at 48–72 h post-injury. Histological confirmation of depth was obtained from those burns requiring surgery. A healing time of less than 21 days was taken as confirmation of the injury being an superficial dermal burn. The accuracy of LDI in the assessment of burn depth was 97%, compared with 60–80% for established clinical methods. This audit confirms that LDI is a very accurate measurement tool for the assessment of burn wound depth. We recommend that all burns of intermediate depth should be analysed in this way in order to ensure appropriate management of the burn, to avoid unnecessary surgery and to reduce hospital stay and costs.