The progression of burn depth in experimental burns: a histological and methodological study.
This study was designed to create a reproducible model for experimental burn wound research in pigs. Previously, the thicker paraspinal skin has been used. We used the more human-like ventral skin to create burns of different depths. Contact burns were created to 11 pigs using a brass plate heated to 100 degrees C in boiling water. Different contact times were used to create burns of different depths. In pigs 1-6, the follow-up time was 72 h and in pigs 7-11 24 h. Burn depth was determined by histology. Histologically, samples were classified into five anatomical layers: epidermis, upper one-third of the dermis, middle third of the dermis, deepest third of the dermis and subcutaneous fat. The location of both thromboses and burn marks were evaluated, respectively. The 1 s contact time lead to a superficial thermal injury, 3 s to a partial thickness and 9 s to a full thickness injury. A progression of burn depth was found until 48 h post-injury. The intra-observer correlation after repeated histological analyses of burn depths by the same histopathologist and the repeatability of burn depth creation yielded kappa coefficients 0.83 and 0.92, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
a reproducible burn model for further research purposes was obtained.
Burn Unit, Department of Surgery, Kuopio University Hospital, P.O. Box 1777, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. anthony.papp@kuh.fi
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A
Papp
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Kiraly
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Härmä
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Lahtinen
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Uusaro
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Alhava
D000818:Animals; D001830:Body Surface Area; D001831:Body Temperature; D001835:Body Weight; D002056:Burns / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D013552:Swine