Abstract: The major objective of the project is to develop a noninvasive method to assess thermal burns. Currently, the diagnosis relies primarily upon visual assessment of the injury by a burn specialist and/or plastic surgeon. The diagnosis is based on the surface appearance of the wound to determine the type or depth of the burn. Near IR spectroscopic measurements of injured tissue provide an objective means of distinguishing between surface and subsurface changes related to the tissue injury. An acute porcine model is employed to investigate the potential of near IR spectroscopy to accurately distinguish between burns of varying severity in the early postburn period. Parallel factor analysis is used to investigate the spectral changes related to burns of varying severity. Burn injuries drastically alter the physical and optical properties of the tissue. Thermal destruction of cutaneous vasculature disrupts perfusion and oxygen delivery to the affected tissue. Tissue blood oxygenation decreases with increased severity of the burn. The result demonstrate that near IR spectroscopy may provide a new tool for objective clinical assessment of burn injuries. !110
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