Utilizing Long-Wave Infrared Thermography (LWIT) to Visualize the Sharp Debridement Inflammatory Process.

Background: Wound debridement is a critical aspect of wound management.1 In particular, sharp debridement facilitates several processes essential for wound healing, including (1) removing dead/necrotic tissue to visualize the wound bed to help guide further treatment and (2) initiate the inflammatory process to move the wound to the acute phase of wound healing.1 Identifying the physiological impacts of sharp debridement can be challenging. Long-Wave Infrared Thermography (LWIT) passively measures thermal energy emitted from skin/tissue based on physiological principles of body heat production and cellular metabolism. Once converted to a thermal image, relative temperature differentials can be measured to show metabolic activity and perfusion changes. These readings show hypoperfusion/ischemia as cooler signatures and hyperperfusion/inflammation as warmer signatures.

Purpose: The purpose of these case studies was to assess the effectiveness of sharp debridement in initiating the inflammatory process using LWIT post-sharp debridement.

Methodology: Active patients that were determined to need sharp debridement of their wounds during their outpatient clinic visit were imaged with a hand-held LWIT device* to obtain pre-and post- sharp debridement images. Thermal images were taken and analyzed for four debridement cases.

Results: Wound bed temperatures were compared pre-and post-debridement, showing warmer temperature changes, thus serving as a physiological indicator for initiation of acute inflammatory response. Each of the four cases showed an increase in mean thermal distribution post sharp debridement ranging from1.3oC to 2.7oC, indicating initiation of the inflammatory process in each case.

Conclusion: LWIT’s objective and quantitative data can show increased temperature changes in the wound bed post-sharp debridement, indicating initiation of the inflammatory process. Using LWIT technology post-debridement will inform clinicians of the presence or absence of inflammatory processes and may help gauge treatment validation and guide care planning in ways that current assessment techniques cannot.