Vascular Reactions in an Experimental Burn Studied with Infrared Thermography and Microangiography

Abstract

An investigation of rabbit ear burns studied by macrophotography, infrared thermography and microangiography has revealed that (1) infrared thermography is an accurate method of evaluating the severity of a burn and of prognosticating the fate of the burned tissue, (2) patency of the vascular supply to the skin appears to be the deciding factor in whether a deep partial-thickness burn eventually heals or becomes an area of full-thick-ness skin loss. These findings emphasize the need for further investigations into the effects of burning on the skin vasculature and for further efforts directed toward maintaining circulation in these burned vessels.