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Updated: Feb 24, 2026
Fabrication and Characterization of a Conformal Skin-like Electronic System for Quantitative, Cutaneous Wound Management
Published on: September 2, 2015
Relative Temperature Maximum in Wound Infection and Inflammation as Compared with a Control Subject Using Long-Wave
Arjun Chanmugam1, Diane Langemo, Korissa Thomason
1Arjun Chanmugam, MD, MBA, is Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Diane Langemo, PhD, RN, FAAN, is President, Langemo & Associates, and Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Professor, University of North Dakota College of Nursing, Grand Forks. Korissa Thomason, MS, BSSN, RN, is Consultant, EHOB, Inc, Indianapolis, Indiana. Jaimee Haan, PT, CWS, is Program Manager, Physical Therapy Wound Management, Rehabilitation Services, Indiana University Health, Indianapolis. Elizabeth A. Altenburger, PT, MSPT, CWS, is Team Leader, Physical Therapy Wound Team, Indiana University Health Methodist Wound Center, Indianapolis. Aletha Tippett, MD, is Medical Director, Brookdale Hospice, Dayton, Ohio. Linda Henderson, BSN, RN, is Vice President of Clinical Services, CareGivers, Inc, Indianapolis, Indiana. Todd Zortman, RN, is Wound Care Coordinator at the Rehab Hospital of Indiana, Indianapolis. Dr Chanmugam has disclosed that he was remunerated by WoundVision for travel related to the study and the provision of writing assistance, medicines, equipment, or administrative support. Dr. Langemo has disclosed that she is remunerated by WoundVision for her consulting/writing/reviewing services. The authors have disclosed they have no other financial relationships related to this article. Acknowledgments: Training and assistance with image thermal analysis were provided by WoundVision. Submitted July 13, 2016; accepted in revised form October 28, 2016.
Objective:
The purpose of this retrospective case series was to determine whether a long-wave infrared thermography (LWIT, or thermal imaging) camera can detect specific temperature changes that are associated with wound infection and inflammation as compared with normal control subjects with similar anatomical wound locations.
Design:
A retrospective, observational, collective, multiple case series of patients who underwent digital and thermal imaging of wounds in various states.
Setting:
The subjects were selected from multiple sites including an outpatient wound care clinic, a wound care physician's office, a rehabilitation hospital, and a home healthcare organization.
Patients:
Six subjects were selected for inclusion, including 2 each for the infection, inflammation, and normal control groups.
Main Outcome Measure:
The study collected relative temperature maximums as obtained and recorded by LWIT and digital imaging.
Main Results:
In this case series, the authors demonstrate the use of an FDA-approved Scout (WoundVision, Indianapolis, Indiana) dual-imaging long-wave infrared and digital cameras to analyze images of wounds. In the 2 cases with clinically diagnosed wound infection, LWIT showed an elevation of temperature as evidenced by a maximum temperature differential between the wound and healthy skin of +4° C to 5° C. Also, LWIT was able to identify relative thermal changes of +1.5° C to 2.2° C in subjects presenting with clinical signs of inflammation. In addition, LWIT was able to show that the normal control subjects without diagnosis of infection or signs of inflammation had relative temperature differentials of +1.1° C to 1.2° C. Finally, LWIT could detect adequate treatment of infected wounds with antibiotics as evidenced by a return to normal temperature differences gradient of +0.8° C to 1.1° C, as compared with normal control subjects with wounds in the same anatomical location.
Conclusions:
Long-wave infrared thermography can collect and record objective data, including relative temperature maximums associated with infection, inflammation, and normal healing wounds.
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