OBJECTIVES: Clinical assessment of burn wound healing potential can be challenging. Aware of the increasing utility of thermography in burn care, we wanted to combine it with the promising results of Bromelain-based Enzymatic Debridement (ED). The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of a thermographic assessment of the debrided wound bed. Our hypothesis was that after a complete ED, the changes in surface temperature would be reversed.
METHODS: A prospective study was conducted. Patients who underwent Bromelain-based Enzymatic Debridement in the acute setting in our Burn Unit (2020-2021) were evaluated with thermal imaging. Exclusion criteria were: <18 years of age, >9% TBSA, hypothermia, hemodynamic instability, inhalation injury, and organ failure. Two images of each burn wound were taken, before and immediately after debridement, and in both assessments the temperature difference between the burn wound and healthy skin was recorded. The primary outcome was temperature difference after enzymatic debridement.
RESULTS: 19 patients (11 women, 8 men) with 24 burn injuries were included. The average burned area was 3% (1-7%) and most of the burns were due to flame (79%) and located in the upper limb (91.7%). Time to ED was, on average, 7.5 hours from injury.
The temperature difference between the burn wound and healthy skin was 2.5ºC on average before ED, and 0.8ºC after ED (p<0.001). Before debridement, the mean temperature of the wound was 30.7ºC and that of healthy skin was 33.2ºC (p<0.01). After debridement, the mean temperatures of the burn and healthy skin were 31.2ºC and 32.1ºC (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION:
•  Thermal imaging can detect changes in the burn wound after Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement.
•  Changes in burn wound surface temperature were reversed after the debridement.
•  Thermography is a promising imaging modality for burn care, especially in combination with enzymatic debridement.

**OBJECTIVES:** Clinical assessment of burn wound healing potential can be challenging. Aware of the increasing utility of thermography in burn care, we wanted to combine it with the promising results of Bromelain-based Enzymatic Debridement (ED). The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of a thermographic assessment of the debrided wound bed. Our hypothesis was that after a complete ED, the changes in surface temperature would be reversed.
**METHODS**: A prospective study was conducted. Patients who underwent Bromelain-based Enzymatic Debridement in the acute setting in our Burn Unit (2020-2021) were evaluated with thermal imaging. Exclusion criteria were: <18 years of age, >9% TBSA, hypothermia, hemodynamic instability, inhalation injury, and organ failure. Two images of each burn wound were taken, before and immediately after debridement, and in both assessments the temperature difference between the burn wound and healthy skin was recorded. The primary outcome was temperature difference after enzymatic debridement.
**RESULTS**: 19 patients (11 women, 8 men) with 24 burn injuries were included. The average burned area was 3% (1-7%) and most of the burns were due to flame (79%) and located in the upper limb (91.7%). Time to ED was, on average, 7.5 hours from injury.
The temperature difference between the burn wound and healthy skin was 2.5ºC on average before ED, and 0.8ºC after ED (p<0.001). Before debridement, the mean temperature of the wound was 30.7ºC and that of healthy skin was 33.2ºC (p<0.01). After debridement, the mean temperatures of the burn and healthy skin were 31.2ºC and 32.1ºC (p>0.05).
**CONCLUSION:**
•  Thermal imaging can detect changes in the burn wound after Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement.
•  Changes in burn wound surface temperature were reversed after the debridement.
•  Thermography is a promising imaging modality for burn care, especially in combination with enzymatic debridement.

P.031 Infrared thermography for the assessment of burns after Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement

Dear friends and colleagues,

We will be pleased to welcome you in Turin (Italy) for the 19th European Burns Association´s Congress in 2022. Italy is honored to hold the meeting of the European Burns Association for the second time, after Verona in 1995. Turin is easily reachable from everywhere in Europe, either travelling by car, train or choosing flight connections. During the meeting, held in the renewed industrial center of the main Italian historical automotive factory (i.e. Lingotto-FIAT), we will meet international burn specialists, focusing on standards of care, progresses in burn treatment, strategies to face disaster situations, with a special attention to education of younger colleagues. However, in your spare time, you might enjoy the sweet days of Italian late summer, simply wandering in the green parks and gardens along the two rivers which cross the city, or you might decide to discover the numerous art galleries, churches, palaces, libraries, walking across elegant squares and large boulevards, passing through centuries of art and history; finally, you may choose to immerse yourself in some of the most exciting museum experiences, such as the Cinema Museum and the Turin’s Egyptian museum.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Turin for the 19th European Association´s Congress in 2022!
Maurizio Stella, Congress President, Turin Burn Centre