Ultrasonic pulse-echo determination of thermal injury in deep dermal burns

Burns of all kinds represent a serious class of traumatic injury, affecting over two million people annually in the United States alone. Of this number, over 70000 are serious enough to require extended hospitalization. Currently, there is no sensitive, quantitative technique for measuring the depth of thermal damage in such injuries. An ultrasonic pulse-echo technique is described here whereby such information can be obtained within a few minutes postburn. Results from model porcine experiments are given to illustrate the usefullness of the method, and implication for the clinical care of human burn victims are discussed.