Spectral MD Holdings Ltd (AIM:SMD) has released data from a study into severe burns injuries that it said highlights a clear unmet clinical need for better technologies that improve the evaluation of burn wound healing.
In reviewing pictures of burn wounds that were so severe they would not have healed, the study showed emergency department (ED) practitioners selected that no surgery was needed and advised treatment with local wound care in 82% of patients.
This would have resulted in surgical delays in four out of five patients.
For healing wounds, ED practitioners selected local wound care in only 31% of the images.
When matched pixel for pixel, ED practitioners had an accuracy of 74%, meaning that about a quarter of the wounds were inaccurately assessed.
Jeff Carter, Spectral MD’s chief medical consultant and Treasurer of the American Burn Association, presented the results in a podium presentation titled 'Results from the Emergency Medicine Burn Injury Assessment Study' at the American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly on 2 October, 2022.
Carter stated: "It is surprising to find that 31% of clinical judgment suggested that surgery or referral was necessary for burns that would actually heal with local wound care, which leads to unnecessary surgery and waste of resources."
He added this is well below the current performance of Spectral MD's DeepView wound imaging system and underlines the need for the technology.
“The BIAS results further support the company's belief that the DeepView Wound Imaging System will be transformative in improving the current standard of care,” said Spectral.
Participants in the study were asked to provide an overall treatment recommendation for each burn scenario.
Learn more about the study here