An observational study of temperature and thermal images of surgical wounds for detecting delayed wound healing within four days after surgery
Abstract
To elucidate the infrared thermal patterns and temperature readings of the surfaces of surgical wounds for detecting delayed wound healing within four days after surgery. The nursing assessment of surgical wounds within the first four days after surgery is commonly based on visual and physical examination. Surgical wounds with delayed healing may be not detected if they do not exhibit signs such as redness or exudate within four days after surgery. This study was conducted using prospective observational design with reference to the STROBE Statement (see Supporting Information Appendix S1) to examine the temperatures of surgical wounds in their natural settings. Based on convenience sampling, 60 participants admitted to the colorectal surgical ward for enterostoma closure from January-November 2013 were recruited. Although both infected and noninfected surgical wounds exhibited a significant increase in wound temperature from Days 1-4, the infected wounds revealed a statistically significantly lower temperature than the noninfected ones. Within the infrared thermal images, the infected wounds presented with partial warming of the skin surrounding and along the incision, suggesting that delayed healing could be identified. This ...Continue Reading
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