Vascular perfusion: A predictive tool for thermal burn injury

Abstract

Damage to the blood vascular system and their altered permeability is a prominent pathological event in case of dermal injury, particularly in burn trauma situations. Prediction of vascular perfusion at the site of damage could be an attractive tool in the estimation of thermal burn injury. A very few reports are available with reference to this tool in defining the thermal injury status. We have used the vascular perfusion estimation method as a tool in assessing the severity of thermal damage to the animal skin. To validate this tool, the mice were subjected to the thermal burn at 90 °C for 10, 20 & 30 s and excised burned skin samples were analyzed for vascular perfusion 24hr post-burn treatment. The vascular perfusion was significantly altered in a time-dependent fashion. This method also provided information regarding blood vessel damage at varied time points. The results of this study clearly indicate the severity of skin damage by the thermal burn. The finding of the present study could have greater implications in predicting the degree of burn. This method is very simple and cost-effective compared to other available modalities used for the estimation of thermal burn injury. The method certainly has the benefit of the estimation of burn injury in the animal models.

Keywords: Burn; Dermal injury; Vascular perfusion; VegSeg tool.