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Microdialysis is a minimally invasive method of monitoring live tissue fluid for biochemical analysis. It has great potential for monitoring the progression of the burn wound. This study aimed to correlate biochemical changes within the burn wound with Laser Doppler Image (LDI) evidence of burn wound progression. Methods: Ten adult patients with full thickness (FT) burn < 15% TBSA, were recruited. Three microdialysis probes were inserted intradermally into the centre of the burn, the periphery of the burn and unburned skin. Microdialysate was collected half hourly until 36 hours post burn and analysed for glucose, lactate, pyruvate and glycerol. Lactate: pyruvate ratio (LPR), a measure of anaerobic metabolism, was calculated. Laser Doppler Images were taken on admission and after 36 hours post-burn. Results: Three patients showed clear evidence of wound progression on LDI. Each of these patients showed biochemical evidence of local ischaemia (LPR > 25) within the burn and/or within the normal skin. A further 2 patients had borderline evidence of wound progression on LDI with signs of ischaemia on microdialysis. 1 patient had no evidence of wound progression on LDI with no evidence of ischaemia on microdialysis. Four patients had incomplete data for either microdialysis or LDI.
For those patients with complete data, there was good correlation between microdialysis evidence of dermal ischaemia and LDI evidence of burn wound progression. This pilot study shows promising results for the use of microdialysis to monitor the progress of the burn wound through the early post-burn hours.
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