DOCTORS CORNER

October 1992

Saving Burn Victims' Pain and Lives

NASA's air and spacecraft flaw-detecting technology now saving the lives and suffering of burn victims.

Each year about two million Americans suffer serious burns. A large number of them require hospital treatment and 10,000-12,000 die from their injuries. Among those hospitalized, some 70,000 people require intensive care, and the cost of such treatment runs several 100 million dollars a year. The application of NASA ultrasound technology, originally developed to detect microscopic flaws in aircraft and spacecraft materials, has provided an advanced diagnostic instrument that makes it possible to immediately assess burn damage-knowledge that permits improved patient treatment and may even save lives in serious burn cases. The Supra Scanner is the first clinically tested, commercially available product of its kind. It also helps diagnose other skin conditions and disorders, including cancer.

DIAGNOSIS

The depth of a burn is the critical factor in the diagnosis and treatment of second and third degree burns. The most common treatment is to allow the natural sloughing of burn-caused dead tissue, and then to close the resulting wounds with skin grafts.

Effective treatment, therefore, depends upon early recognition of the extent of dead tissue and its removal, by chemical or surgical means, to minimize risk of infection and speed healing. The key is accurate information about the depth of the burn. Previous methods to assess bulk depth were subjective and, thus, prone to error.