Use of Electrical Impedance to Assess Frostbite Injury Severity in a Swine
Abstract
Management of frostbite poses a significant problem for the military, because the accepted method of treatment, waiting for demarcation of necrotic tissue, is unsuitable for the combat casualty care environment. A preferable method of frostbite management would be development of an objective indicator of tissue viability that could be used to guide debridement soon after injury, minimizing the hospital stay. Based on previous work on necrotic tissue detection, electrical impedance was studied for its potential in assessing frostbite injury severity. An air jet cooler system was used on one swine to produce 48 lesions of different severities by varying the freeze time. Results from measurements made 1, 2 and 3 days post-freezing indicated a significant difference between mean impedance for controls and second and third degree lesions, but not between mean impedance for second and third degree lesions. The small sample size limits interpretation of the results, and it is possible that significant differences between degrees of frostbite would be seen if additional test animals were used. If further studies are pursued, additional technologies should be considered and the measurement period should be extended beyond three days post-injury. Keywords: Necrosis, Statistical experiments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 15, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA201453
Entities
People
- Florence H. Broski
- Mark W. Sharp
- Neil W. Ahle
- Patrica M. Dubill
- Rodrigo A. Mariano
Organizations
- United States Army Biological Warfare Laboratories