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[Skin temperature changes in Wistar rats with second-degree scald injury in hot and humid environment after cooling
Li-ying Zhang1, Ya-jie Li, Bing-de Luo
1Department of Nursing, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. zly@fimmu.com
Objective:
To observe the changes in skin temperature after cooling therapy immediate following superficial second-degree scald injury in Wistar rats in a hot and humid environment, and evaluate the effect of the dressing materials for the cooling therapy.
Methods:
Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal temperature control (NTC), normal temperature cooling therapy (NCT), hot and humid control (HHC), and hot and humid cooling therapy (HCT) groups (n=6). Different interventions were applied to the scalded rats: dry bulb temperature (Tdb) of 26.33+/-1.29 degree with a relative humidity (rh) of 71.05%+/-4.57% for the two normal temperature groups, and Tdb 35.33+/-0.35 degree with rh of 70.81%+/-1.38% for the two hot and humid environment groups. The dressing materials for the cooling therapy were applied to the two cooling therapy groups but not for the two control groups. The exposure time for the therapy was 125 min, and the skin temperature was measured every 20 min, starting from 5 min after the scald.
Results:
The skin temperature rose in hot and humid environment and decreased when cold therapy was applied (P<0.001). Interactions were found between the exposure time and environmental temperature (P<0.002), between the exposure time and cooling therapy (P<0.05), and between these 3 factors (P<0.05) to influence the skin temperature, which was 1.92+/-2.13 degrees Celsius lower in NCT group than in NTC group, and 2.36+/-1.03 degrees Celsius lower in HCT group than in HHC group.
Conclusion:
The dressing materials for cooling therapy effectively reduce the skin temperature at the site of the scald injury to prevent the progression of heat-induced injury and the unfavorable effects of the heat remaining on the scalded skin.
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