Skin temperature during cutaneous wound healing in an equine model of cutaneous fibroproliferative disorder: kinetics and anatomic-site differences.

The research article explores the different patterns of skin temperature and blood flow in horse wounds at different body parts over time, focusing on normal or abnormal repair of full-thickness cutaneous wounds. The study, using infrared thermography, demonstrates that anatomical location and presence of an exuberant granulation tissue, a complication in healing, significantly affects the skin temperature over the healing period.

Research Methodology

• The experimental research was carried out on six Standardbred horses aged 3-4 years.
• Three cutaneous wounds were created on two main locations – the dorsolateral surface of each metacarpus (forelimb) and the lateral thoracic wall (body).
• Wounds on the thoracic skin and one randomly chosen forelimb were allowed to heal naturally without a bandage. In contrast, wounds on the contralateral limb were bandaged, triggering the formation of exuberant granulation tissue (EGT), which is an overgrowth of tissue during healing.
• Thermal data from all planned wound sites were collected before the surgical procedure (baseline) and at various time intervals: 24, 48, 96 hours, and 1, 2, and 4 weeks after wounding.
• These data were then examined using repeated measures ANOVA and a priori contrasts, which were later corrected with Bonferroni sequential correction. The level of significance was set at P < .05.

Research Findings

• The study found that Cutaneous Wound Temperature (CWT) rose from the preoperative time to the first week post-wounding, regardless of the wound’s anatomic location.
• CWT of limb wounds was significantly less than that of body wounds throughout the healing process.
• Interestingly, the CWT of limb wounds developing EGT (managed with bandages) was significantly lower than that of unbandaged limb wounds (those not developing EGT).

Conclusions

• The research concluded that cutaneous wound temperature varies with the anatomic location of the wound and throughout its healing process.
• It also highlighted that wounds developing exuberant granulation tissue had significantly lower temperature than those without it.

The findings of this research provide essential insights into wound healing management in veterinary medicine, particularly for equine practitioners.