Burn Depth Analysis Essay

Hello Disha, Thank you for the concise discussion of the disadvantages of the various techniques that are used in assessing the depth of the burn wound. “Burn wounds that heal within a 3-week window have improved aesthetic and functional outcomes with a reduced degree of scarring” (Khatib, Jabir, O’Connor, & Philip, 2014, p. 1). To promote optimal treatment for burn wounds, an immediate and accurate depth assessment is required (Sainsbury, 2008). Burn depth is frequently evaluated by clinical evaluation, however, it is subjective and has an accuracy of only 60-80% (Sainsbury, 2008). Meanwhile, biopsy scrutinizes the microvascular damage occurring in the dermal capillary plexus and is considered as the gold standard of assessing burn depth, nevertheless, it is invasive, painful, promote scarring, and does not examine the whole burn (Sainsbury, 2008). It should be done within 48-72 hours after injury since during this period, the blood perfusion of the burn tissue can change and damage the results (Venclauskiene et al., 2014). …show more content…
It is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to determine the burn depth (Paul et al., 2015). LDI is a “noncontact scanner, allowing the diagnosis of the burn depth based on a noninvasive examination of skin microcirculation and the proven correlation between the blood supply and the depth of burns” (Sttinsky et al., 2015, p. 197). This technique, compared to biopsy, is not painful to the patient. Moreover, LDI is reliable and reproducible, with a specificity of 92-97% and a sensitivity of 90-100% (Sainsbury,