Clinical application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy for burn assessment.

Early assessment of local tissue oxygen saturation is essential for clinicians to determine the burn wound severity. We assessed the burn extent and depth in the skin of the extremities using a custom-built 36-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy system in patients with burns. A total of nine patients with burns were analyzed in this study. All second-degree burns were categorized as superficial, intermediate, and deep burns; non-burned skin on the burned side; and healthy skin on the contralateral non-burned side. Hemodynamic tissue signals from functional near-infrared spectroscopy attached to the burn site were measured during fNIRS using a blood pressure cuff. A nerve conduction study was conducted to check for nerve damage. All second-degree burns were categorized into superficial, intermediate, and deep burns; non-burned skin on the burned side and healthy skin on the contralateral non-burned side showed a significant difference distinguishable using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Hemodynamic measurements using functional near-infrared spectroscopy were more consistent with the diagnosis of burns 1 week later than that of the degree of burns diagnosed visually at the time of admission. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy may help with the early judgment of burn extent and depth by reflecting differences in the oxygen saturation levels in the skin.