Critical review of burn depth assessment techniques: Part ii. review of laser doppler technology

Amín D. Jaskille, Jessica C. Ramella-Roman, Jeffrey W. Shupp, Marion H. Jordan, James C. Jeng

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

97 Scopus citations

Abstract

The judgment of which wounds are expected to heal within 21 days is one of the most difficult and important tasks of the burn surgeon. The quoted accuracy of 64 to 76% by senior burn surgeons underscores the importance of an adjunct technology to help make this determination. A plethora of techniques have been developed in the last 70 years. Laser Doppler imaging (LDI) is one of the most recent and widely studied of these techniques. The technology provides an estimate of perfusion through the burn wound, the assumption being that a lower perfusion correlates with a deeper wound and, therefore, a longer time to heal. Although some reports suggest accuracy between 96 and 100% and that it does this 2 days ahead of clinical judgment, others have questioned its applicability to clinical practice. This article, the second of a two-part series, has two objectives: 1) a review of the Doppler principle and how the LDI uses it to estimate perfusion; and 2) a critical assessment of the burn literature on the LDI. Part I provides a historical perspective of the different technologies used through the last 70 years to assist in the determination of burn depth. Laser Doppler has brought technology closer to provide a reliable adjuvant to the clinical prediction of healing, yet, caution is warranted. A clear understanding of the limitations of LDI is needed to put the current research in perspective to find the right clinical application for LDI.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)151-157
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Burn Care and Research
Volume31
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2010
Externally publishedYes

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