Assessment of Hyperspectral Imaging in Pressure Injury Healing.
Lin-Lin Lee, Shu-Ling Chen
PMID 35819937WHAT IT FOUND
In 30 sacral pressure injuries, hyperspectral imaging showed wound tissue often had higher tissue oxygen saturation than surrounding healthy or scabbed skin.
It did not separate stage 1 injuries from healthy skin, and deeper stages were too few to conclude.
Key findings
01Wounded skin had a higher median tissue oxygen saturation than healthy skin or scabbed skin.
02In stage 2 and stage 3 pressure injuries, wound tissue had significantly higher median tissue oxygen saturation than healthy skin and scab tissue.
03Stage 1 pressure injury tissue oxygen saturation was similar to healthy skin, and stage 4 and unstageable injuries did not show significant differences because of small case numbers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only 30 patients from one rehabilitation ward, recruited by intentional sampling, so the findings may not apply to other settings or patient groups. It took half a year to examine just 30 cases because mobility challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic limited recruitment. Stage 4 and unstageable injuries had too few cases for significant differences. The study did not provide tissue oxygen saturation data for deep-tissue pressure injuries. Stage 1 pressure injury tissue oxygen saturation was not clearly distinguished from healthy skin. The outcomes reported are tissue oxygen saturation differences, not a tested treatment effect or a patient-centered healing outcome. Hyperspectral imaging is described as an emerging technology that is not yet popular in clinical practice.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that hyperspectral imaging predicts pressure injury healing or can replace visual assessment. The study measured tissue oxygen saturation in 30 patients, reported tissue oxygen saturation differences, and had too few stage 4 and unstageable cases for significant differences.