Three-dimensional wound mapping software compared to expert opinion in determining wound area.

INTRODUCTION: New technologies in the field of burn wound and scar assessment are continually being evaluated. Accurate estimation of total body surface area (TBSA) burn wound is of paramount importance in fluid resuscitation to prevent complications which are associated with morbidity and mortality. Estimating the TBSA is performed by a multitude of different methods, however a gold standard would be ideal. The aim of this study was to compare the estimation of burned TBSA% between 3D photography by Panasonic FZ-M1 Toughpad in conjunction with WoundCare Lite software and expert opinion volunteered by burns doctors.

METHODS: Two life sized mannequins were used to simulate burns; an adult and a child. The burn was drawn to mimic real life burn patterns. Burns were measured prior to specialist assessment on the 3D camera. Burns doctors were asked to estimate the TBSA% of the burn. 10 burn sizes were assessed on the adult mannequin, and 8 on the child.

RESULTS: Wound size as estimated from the camera varied from 0.42% to 18.23%, with a mean of 5.246%. Each burn was assessed by a median of 3 assessors (ranging from 2 to 8). Burn TBSA assessments from the 3D camera and specialist assessment (compared using ICC) showed excellent agreement, 0.985 (95% CI 0.905, 0.996).

CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that the wound mapping software WoundCare Lite in conjunction with the Panasonic FZ-M1 Toughpad 3D camera compares well with expert opinion in determining burn surface area on a mannequin. Further research is needed to establish whether this is the case in burns on patients in an acute setting.