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Informational/Educational Report
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An accurate, non-contact scanner for wound measurement David C. Kieser, Catherine E. Hammond, Prof. Justin A. Roake, James TG Preddey, Dr. Mark A. Nixon Wound measurement is essential in assessing the progress or deterioration of wound healing. The most commonly used tools include digital photography, width and breadth measurements and wound tracings. These methods have been useful in clinical practice but have limitations. Such limitations include lack of accuracy, difficulty of use, and often entail wound contact. More advanced equipment tends to be bulky, heavy and expensive To address these short-comings the ARANZ (Applied Research Associates NZ Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand) wound measurement system has been developed. This device combines a camera and two parallel laser fan-beams which allow for the correction of scale and lesion curvature, providing rapid and accurate (within 2%) measurements of the wound surface area and depth. This accuracy is sufficient for both clinical and research purposes. In addition, information on the percentage of slough, granulation and necrotic tissue comprising the wound bed may be displayed. The non-contact nature of the device ensures minimal risk of transmission of infection and avoiding damage to fragile tissues. The palm-sized scanner interfaces to a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). Comprehensive reports can be generated from the data stored on the PDA. Documentation may include photographic records, serial wound measurements, and other pertinent data. With a phone-enabled PDA, data can be sent to a secure, centralized database, and real-time teleconsultations facilitated The scanner has been trialed in clinical practice in the Leg Ulcer Clinic, Nurse Maude Association, Christchurch, New Zealand. It is being used for wound measurement as part of a current study exploring the benefits of combining negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and pressure bandaging. Conventional methods for wound measurement were also performed for comparison. The scanner was found to be practicable, accurate, simple to operate, rapid, portable and compact, and it also has the advantage of being inexpensive. Bale S, Harding K, Leaper D. An introduction to wounds. 2000:33Ð44 Ferrell BA. Pressure ulcers: assessment of healing. Clin Geriatr Med. 1997;13:575Ð587 Goldman RJ, Salcido R. More than one way to measure a wound: an overview of tools and techniques. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2002;15:236Ð245 Marjanovic D, Dugdale RE, Vowden P, Vowden KR. Measurement of the volume of a leg ulcer using a laser scanner. Physiol Meas. 1998;19(4):535Ð543 Patete PV, Bulgrin JP, Shabani MM, Smith DJ. A noninvasive, three dimensional, diagnostic laser imaging system for accurate wound analysis. Physiol Meas. 1996;17(2):71Ð79 Russel L. The importance of wound documentation and classification [Review]. Br J Nurs. 1999;8(20):1342Ð1348.. .Salcido R. The future of wound measurement. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2000;13:54Ð56 Salmhofer W, Hofmann-Wellenhof R, Gabler G, et al. Wound teleconsultation in patients with chronic leg ulcers. Dermatol. 2005; 210(3):211Ð217 Smith RB, Rogers B, Tolstykh GP, et al. Three dimensional laser imaging system for measuring wound geometry. Lasers Surg Med. 1998;23(2):87Ð93 Thawer HA, Houghton PE, Woodbury G, Keast D, Campbell K. A comparison of computer-assisted and manual wound size measurement. Ostomy Wound Manage. 2002;48(10):46Ð53. |
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