title: Wound inflammatory index: a "proof of concept" study to assess wound healing trajectory.
abstract: Diabetes around the globe results in one major limb amputation every 30 seconds, over 2500 limbs lost per day. The underlying pathophysiology sometimes leads to a chronic inflammatory stage, which may prevent appropriate healing, and therefore, the need for a clear strategy for assessing and classifying wounds and wound healing cannot be overstated. Temperature is a surrogate marker for inflammation. Quantitative thermography using a numerical index provides a useful way to assess wound healing. Advances in technology have afforded the availability of low-cost, high-resolution thermal imaging systems, which can be used to quantify sensitive changes on the skin surface and may be particularly useful to develop monitoring strategies for wounds. This article provides a standardized technique for calculating a thermal index (TI) supported with a case report from assessment of a diabetic foot ulcer. In this single case study, the TI/wound inflammatory index indicates a shift from negative to positive (p < .05) before it reaches zero.
authors.affiliation: Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA), College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724, USA. manish.bharara@gmail.com
authors.forename: Manish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bharara
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schoess
authors.forename: Aksone
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nouvong
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Armstrong
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000009:adverse effects; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000473:pathology*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D013817:Thermography; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000473:pathology*