Determination of Depth of Burns by Tetracycline Fluorescence

Abstract

The characteristic of tetracycline to fluoresce on exposure to ultraviolet light, and the fact that the fluorescence varies with concentration, has proved of value in the assessment of the depth of burns. The method is simple and harmless. Sixteen patients with minor burns of varying depth were studied. Thirteen showed correlation between the fluorescence and the depth of burn, but there was no correlation in three cases with particularly thick crust formation. The concentration of tetracycline chloride, expressed in μg/g of tissue, was greater in fluorescent than in non-fluorescent tissue.