[Clinical and experiment study of cooling therapy on burned wound].

OBJECTIVE

To observe the subjective benefit of pain relief by cooling therapy when wound temperature drops to below 28 degrees C (threshold for pain).

METHOD

22 patients with partial-thickness burns who received cooling therapy showed 2 days early healing as compared with untreated burn wounds. As a first aid measure, prolonged cooling therapy (up to 30') was recommended. In experimental study, the protective effects with cooling therapy were observed in wistar rats with deep second degree burns.

RESULTS

Lower epithelial cell activity and higher schiff alkaline values were seen in the wound skin tissue in the non cooling therapy than in early cooling therapy groups and healthy controls. The groups with early cooling therapy (at once, 10', 20' after scalded injuries) the epithelial cell activity maintained at 83%, 80%, 65%.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that cooling therapy can protect the epithelial cell activity to some extent after scalded injuries which may be associated with inhibition of lipid peroxide.