Cooling extensive burns: sprayed coolants can improve initial cooling management - a thermography-based study.

This pilot study was designed to verify whether the spraying of coolant improves initial cooling in extensive burns. The cooling effects of 1l of sprayed water and 5l of poured water (at 22 degrees C) were tested; 53 healthy participants were cooled for 15 min over 18% of their total body surface, twice. Thermographic imaging measured the loss of skin temperature and assessed the homogeneity of cooling. With sprayed coolant the mean decrease of skin temperature was significantly higher (p < 0.003) throughout the entire cooling period and more homogeneous for the first 9 min (p < 0.003), compared with poured coolant. Infrared tympanic thermometry estimated core body temperature; neither poured nor sprayed water caused hypothermia. Even with a fifth of the volume of poured water, sprayed water cooled more efficiently. Thus, we conclude that spraying of coolant improves initial management.