Controlled partial skin thickness burns: an animal model for studies of burnwound progression

A practicable, reliable and reproducible model for infliction of partial sk in thickness burn lesions in rabbits is presented. The model is dedicated t o experimental studies investigating the influence of drugs on burn wounds. A round aluminium stamp with a contact area of 4 cm(2) weight 85 g, was he ated up to 80 degrees C and applied for 14 s without additional pressure on the depilated dorsal skin of rabbits. This procedure produced the desired partial skin thickness burn injury. The depth of the burn lesions was inves tigated by HE-stained paraffin sections. The border of the necrotic zone wa s found in the central third of the dermis in 80% of cases, and in the cent ral two quarters in 100%. These results are achieved when the rabbit's hair at the site of infliction is in the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle. For obtaining reproducible results we recommend using rabbits of the same strain and weight, anagen hair growth phase, the described procedure of inf liction, an identical stamp and the specified temperature and infliction ti me. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.