ROLE OF INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY IN EARLY DETECTION OF PERFUSION COMPROMISE IN DEGLOVING INJURY : A PROSPECTIVE STUDY dixitpk@aiimsjodhpur.edu.in

 

ROLE OF INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY IN EARLY DETECTION OF PERFUSION COMPROMISE IN DEGLOVING INJURY : A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

1

India

Oral or Poster

Early assessment of skin perfusion compromise is vital to avoid complications. Present study evaluated the efficacy and accuracy of thermal imaging compared to clinical assessment for perfusion assessment of cutaneous degloving injury.

All the patients with degloving injuries who presented within 24 hours of injury were included in the study. Thermal image of the degloved skin flap were taken on day 1 (day of presentation) and next two days. Images were taken on either side of the suture line, advancing 1 cm each time, to see if there was any change in temperature. A mean temperature of the degloved skin flap and normal skin, along with the mean temperature difference was calculated on all three days. Simultaneously every day the degloved skin was monitored clinically for the line of demarcation.

30 patients with degloving injuries were included in the study. It was observed that there was a greater difference in temperature of normal skin and degloved skin in patients in whom the degloved skin subsequently got compromised and required some form of intervention. The mean temperature difference on day 1, 2 and 3 was found to be 2.630, 4.050 and 4.950 in compromised degloved area. At a cut-off ∆T of 1.790C, thermal camera was found to have sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 99.4%.

Using infrared thermography, degloved skin which subsequently got compromised was detected early in comparison to clinical examination, with good sensitivity and specificity.