OSU Burn Center Finds Silver Lining in Healing ProcessCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Researchers here have discovered how to minimize pain for burn patients utilizing a safer, more efficient healing method.
The Ohio State University Medical Center’s Burn Center conducted a study testing the compatibility of certain topical wound dressings with magnetic resonance images (MRIs). Researchers sought to determine if dressings in place during the imaging process increased body surface temperature or caused false readings on the MRI image. Silver-based dressings are designed to be applied to a burn patient’s wound and remain fixed until the wound has closed. Product package inserts suggest removal of the dressing before an MRI procedure, although no clear evidence exists to support this recommendation. “Repeated removal of a patient’s dressing disrupts the wound site, delaying the wound healing process and increasing the risk of infection,” says Dr. Sidney Miller, director of Ohio State’s Burn Center. The results showed no significant temperature changes and image quality was not affected. In the testing, a high resolution MRI was used to obtain images of three standard burn wound dressings containing silver that had been applied to animal tissue. Scanned dry dressing applications were compared to wet dressing images. Researchers assessed the changes in temperature by inserting a probe between the dressing and tissue. Images were also examined for distortion. “This study reinforces patient care, improves the healing and enhances our commitment to sharing successful practices with other burn centers,” said Miller, who is also principal investigator of the study and vice president of the American Burn Association. Along with Miller, other researchers involved in the study were Zaid Chaudhry, Rebecca Coffey, Andrew Crockett , Steffen Sammet and William Yu. The burn center at Ohio State is the only adult burn treatment center in central Ohio, providing inpatient and outpatient care for burn wounds, complex burn management and serious skin conditions. Also part of the Medical Center’s Level 1 Trauma Center, the burn center offers physical and occupational therapy, speech language therapy, social work and nutritional services.
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