The Journal of burn care & rehabilitation
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Nov 2001
Microvascular assessment of burn depth conversion during varying resuscitation conditions.
Conversion of partial- to full-thickness injuries, even after the burning has stopped, remains a significant clinical problem. We developed a rat model with a wide range of burn depths to study this phenomenon by microvascular assessment. Fifty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 460 g on average were studied. ⋯ Animals received Ringer's lactate resuscitation at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 ml/kg/%burn. Serial laser Doppler scanning directly demonstrated progressive loss of perfusion to partial-thickness burns dependent upon the amount of fluid resuscitation. Conversion of partial- to full-thickness burns in this rat model (documented by laser Doppler microvascular assessment) was dependent upon how the animals were resuscitated.