Model System:

Burn

Reference Type:

Journal

Accession No.:

J75437

Journal:


Journal of Burn Care And Research (formerly Journal of Burn Care & Rehabilitation)

Year, Volume, Issue, Page(s):

, 38, 1, e254-e260

Publication Website:

Abstract:

Study compared burn size estimations obtained with three-dimensional (3D) computer-aided software to those obtained with standard-of-care methods. Burn units have historically used paper diagrams to estimate percent burn; however, unintentional errors can occur. The use of a computer program that incorporates wound mapping from photographs onto a 3D human diagram could decrease subjectivity in preparing burn diagrams and subsequent calculations of total body surface area (TBSA) burned. Nineteen burned patients with an estimated TBSA burned of at least 20 percent were analyzed. Digital photographs were collected before the patient’s first surgery. Using BurnCase 3D, a burn mapping software, the user traced partial- and full-thickness burns from photographs. The program then superimposed tracings onto a 3D model and calculated percent burned. The results were compared with the Lund and Browder diagrams completed after the first operation. A two-tailed t-test was used to calculate statistical differences. For partial-thickness burns, burn sizes calculated using Lund and Browder diagrams were significantly larger than those calculated using BurnCase 3D (15 percent difference). The opposite was found for full-thickness burns, with burn sizes being smaller when calculated using Lund and Browder diagrams (11 percent difference). Substantial differences were found in percent burn estimations derived from BurnCase 3D and paper diagrams. In the studied cohort, paper diagrams were associated with overestimation of partial-thickness burn size and underestimation of full-thickness burn size. Additional studies comparing BurnCase 3D with other commonly used methods are warranted.

Author(s):


Benjamin, Nicole C., Lee, Jong O., Norbury, William B., Branski, Ludwik K., Wurzer, Paul, Jiminez, Carlos J., Benjamin, Debra A., Herndon, David N,