Medical Device to Assess the Viability of Tissue Prior to Skin Grafting

The primary objective of this proposal is to design and demonstrate the SpectralMD DeepView imaging technology can allow surgeons to quickly and objectively assess the viability of tissue in a burn excision site prior to skin grafting. DeepView uses machine learning algorithms to analyze data acquired by multispectral imaging to generate quantitative prognostic images with a user-friendly output that is easily interpretable. It is to our knowledge the only burn imaging technology that has undergone thorough investigation in a pre-clinical animal model of burn excision, where it demonstrated success in detecting tissue viability throughout the skin layers and into the subcutaneous fat. Upon completion of this project, a portable DeepView system will be designed that provides images of the post-excisional remaining tissues in real-time to aid surgeons in determining if and how much burn tissue to excise. Other uses of the portable DeepView device include: diagnosing burn wound healing potential and the need for surgery during in burn triage; determining proper level of limb amputation to minimize the high rate of re-amputation in the chronic wound population; and monitoring of reconstructive flap viability. The portable DeepView system will have wide commercial utility in addition to the current military-focused application.