Use of thermography for clinical decision making.

Consultation to the burn clinic was requested for a 4-week old infant that had sustained a complete partial thickness burn to his left foot from a heat radiator (A). The paediatric surgeon on call had decided to hospitalize the patient and treat him with a skin graft based on the clinical characteristic of the wound but requested a second opinion to our clinic. The thermographic image showed a ΔT value of 1.8 (B), so conservative management with outpatient management and daily visits to the emergency department to monitor the wound was advised. After seven days of treatment, the wound showed signs of re-epithelization and adequate tissue perfusion. The patient evolution was satisfactory and was discharged from the burn clinic two weeks after the injury.