Floyd Medical Center is now using an infrared, digital imaging camera system to help prevent patients in the hospital from developing pressure injuries.

The WoundVision Scout camera captures two images at once – a typical digital image and a thermographic image of a patient's skin and wound. The digital image provides precise and accurate measurements of the visible skin or wound area. The thermographic image shows temperature changes deeper in the skin and tissues inside the body, allowing for identification of possible injuries before they turn into open wounds.

“You can see the temperature variation on the scan before you can actually visually examine the injury," said Traci Tillery, Director of Specialty Services.

Captured images are sent to a patient's electronic medical record. This allows health care providers to quickly respond to new or worsening pressure injuries with real-time surveillance.

A pressure injury can occur on any area of the body that has been without blood flow, possibly over a bony area or underneath a medical device. These injuries typically occur when a person has been in one position for too long, such as lying in bed or sitting in a chair.

“We take every measure to relieve pressure from the area, such as frequent repositioning, offloading devices and pressure reduction support surfaces (beds)," Tillery said. “In addition, we make sure these patients are seen by our advance practice registered nurse and nutritionist to ensure all advanced therapies are implemented to enhance healing properties."

The device allows providers to focus and treat specific areas underneath the skin in order to prevent pressure injuries from becoming worse.

​"This technology is a great advancement in the way we care for patients because we can identify pressure injuries quickly and implement aggressive treatment to possibly even prevent a deep tissue injury from evolving," Tillery said.