Summary
This method for identifying burn wound conversion utilizes a combination active dynamic thermography (ADT) and laser Doppler imaging (LDI) to analyze and measure the likelihood of tissue conversion.
Inventors
Jeffrey Schupp, MD
Nicholas Prindeze, MD
What is it? What does it do?
Burn wound conversion is a challenging problem in burn wound assessment resulting in uninjured tissue surrounding the burn succumbing to a mix of host immune responses, perfusion fluctuations, dehydration, and other complications. This significantly contributes to the morbidity of burn wounds, making it apparent that an accurate, objective, and non-invasive metric of wound conversion would be helpful for targeted treatment.
MedStar Health’s new system and method for identifying burn wound conversion is a non-invasive process designed to quantify burn wound conversion during the acute phase of wound development. The method utilizes a combination of imaging modalities including active dynamic thermography (ADT) and laser Doppler imaging (LDI) to analyze and measure the likelihood of tissue conversion.
Why is it better?
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The system helps initiate earlier clinical intervention and lower the risk of infection, therefore decreasing unnecessary loss of skin, multiple visits to the operating room, and overall length of hospital stay
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Imaging data gathered with this method improves patients’ response to resuscitative therapies, prevents wound contractures, and improves scarring and pigmentation outcomes
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The quick and accurate imaging data is compatible for direct output into electronic health records (EHRs)
What is its current status?
An early prototype was developed and tested in a proof-of-concept study performed on 18 rats. The study demonstrated that ADT and LDI imaging modalities were capable of specifically identifying and predicting burn wound conversion.
The patentability of the invention has been assessed and a detailed market analysis report has been produced, highlighting competing and relative products, the addressable market size, commercial and regulatory risks, as well as expert clinical feedback. MedStar Inventor Services filed and coordinated the prosecution of the utility patent, which included strategizing responses back to the patent examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Currently, MedStar Inventor Services is seeking potential development partners to collaborate on additional testing and studies.
The MedStar Inventor Services team is now seeking a licensing/collaboration partner to develop and commercialize this technology. Please contact us at invent@medstar.net.
Publications
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Prindeze et al. (2016). Active Dynamic Thermography is a Sensitive Method for Distinguishing Burn Wound Conversion. Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association, 37(6), e559–e568.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26284633/