ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Experimental animal study of burns is dependent on a reliable burn generation system. Most of the experimental systems used today are unable to produce precise partial thickness burns. This limits the ability to study minor changes associated with burn care. The aim of the study was to develop a method for generating burns with a fixed depth using a CO2 laser burn generation system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The burn generation system was composed of two components: a burn generation device and a temperature sensing and control system. These components were designed to operate together in order to keep a constant, predetermined skin surface temperature during prolonged burn generation. One hundred thirty-eight spot burns were generated on the back of five shaved 450 g male Wistar rats. The rat skin was exposed to a 70 degrees C for 5-60 seconds. The burned areas were excised and underwent evaluation by hematoxylin-eosin-stained slide microscopy. RESULTS: A linear correlation was found between the duration of exposure and the average burn depth (r = 0.93). This correlation is represented by the equation: burn depth in millimeters = 0.012x (duration in seconds of skin exposure at 70 degrees C). CONCLUSIONS: The fiber-optic-controlled laser burn generation system studied is a reliable tool for creating partial thickness as well as full thickness skin burns in rats.
Subject(s)
Burns/pathology , Fiber Optic Technology/instrumentation , Lasers/adverse effects , Radiometry/instrumentation , Skin Diseases/pathology , Animals , Burns/etiology , Male , Models, Animal , Optical Fibers , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Skin Diseases/etiologyABSTRACT
A fiber-optic radiometer is developed for accurate noncontact temperature measurements. Of compact and novel design, it is based on replacing the usual chopper with a simple shutter. The radiometer operates in a spectral range of 5-20 microm and uses a silver-halide IR-transmitting optical fiber. The radiometer has a temperature resolution of 0.1 degrees C, a time response of 200 ms, and a spatial resolution of approximately 1 mm. Theory, simulation, radiometer design and construction, and examples of experimental measurements are shown. The novel radiometer can be used in diverse applications in science, medicine, and industry.
