A Reliability Study Using a Long-Wave Infrared Thermography Device to Identify Relative Tissue Temperature Variations of the Body Surface and Underlying Tissue.

OBJECTIVE

This study assesses the ability of the Scout (WoundVision LLC, Indianapolis, Indiana), an FDA-approved visual and thermal imaging device and software analysis tool, to provide clinicians with a reliable and reproducible way to incorporate long-wave infrared thermography and relative temperature differential into clinical wound assessment by consistently identifying control areas against which to measure wound temperature.

METHODS

This laboratory-based study utilized 3 adult wound care professionals experienced in control area selection. Twenty-six previously collected wound images were used for the study. The 3 readers placed a control area on each of the 26 wounds 3 different times (n = 78 independent placements) to establish within-reader agreement. To establish between-reader agreement, the readers again placed a control area on each of the 26 wounds (n = 26 independent placements).

OUTCOME MEASURES

This study evaluates 2 aspects of the Scout device's reliability: (1) within- and between-reader agreement of initial patient encounter control area images and (2) between-reader agreement of follow-up encounter control area images.

RESULTS

The control area measurements were very consistent both within (percent coefficient of variation [%CV] approximately 1%) and between readers (%CV approximately 2%). The average maximum temperature within-reader %CV was 1.14% and the between-reader variation was %CV 1.97%. The average minimum temperature had a within-reader %CV of 1.1% and the between-reader coefficient of variation was 2.01%. The within- and between-reader average difference in mean temperature was 0.14° C and 0.29° C, respectively. The largest mean temperature difference observed within-readers was 0.68° C, and the smallest difference was 0.01° C. The largest difference observed in between-reader mean temperature was 0.96° C, and the smallest was 0.03° C.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that clinicians can repeatedly and reliably perform a relative temperature differential analysis using the Scout device to determine an appropriate control area for wound temperature assessment.