Clinical use of laser Doppler flowmetry in a burns unit.

Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) is a new noninvasive technique by which microcirculation changes in tissue can be studied. This has been done in a Burns Unit on burned as well as non-burned patients (volunteers). There were no infection problems with this device in a Burns Unit. Four kHz was the upper wave length limit analysing the doppler signal from burns. A topical temperature load test was defined and used in different situations. Homogeneous flows in reference points from a control group were demonstrated in unheated and heated skin, in this way standardizing the LDF analyses of skin microflow. Ability of LDF to define different degrees of burns was demonstrated.