Virtual instrument for assessing dermal perfusion

Determining the extent of dermal perfusion is crucial in assessing the healing of chronic wounds, of the kind encountered in diabetic ulcers and burns. An automated, contact-less, non-invasive means of analyzing the dermal perfusion in selected areas would be useful in this process. Such a technique is presented in this paper. It describes a virtual instrument developed for acquiring a series of visual and near infrared images of the affected area and subsequent off-line analysis and presentation of the results. The virtual instrument has been tested with satisfying results for stimulated dermal perfusion and inhibition.