title: [Determining burn depth: clinical assessment and laser Doppler imaging].
abstract: Early accurate determination of burn depth is important to determine the optimal treatment of burns. The method most used to determine burn depth is clinical assessment. This is a cheap method, but not the most accurate. Laser Doppler imaging (LDI) is a technique with which a more accurate (>95%) estimate of burn depth can be made by measuring the dermal perfusion. It is hypothesised that the introduction of LDI will lead to quicker decisions as to whether or not to operate, possibly leading to a shorter length of hospital stay and lower medical costs. To test this hypothesis, a multicentre randomized controlled trial is presently being conducted in the Dutch burn centres.
authors.affiliation: Vereniging van Samenwerkende Brandwondencentra (VSBN), Maasstad Ziekenhuis, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. jenda_hop@hotmail.com
authors.forename: M Jenda
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hop
authors.forename: Margriet E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: van Baar
authors.forename: Marianne K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Nieuwenhuis
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dokter
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Middelkoop
authors.forename: C H Kees
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: van der Vlies
mesh_terms: D002056:Burns / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry / Q000379:methods*; D007902:Length of Stay; D011379:Prognosis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*