Mrs Kristen Storey^1,2, Ms Alicia Miers¹, Mrs Aoife Rice¹, Professor Roy Kimble^1,2,3,4

¹Queensland Children’s Hospital, Sth Brisbane, Australia, ²Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, ³Centre for Children’s Burns and Trauma Research, Sth Brisbane, Australia, ⁴University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Abstract:

Wound debridement is required to remove dead, damaged or infected tissue within a wound to promote healthy tissue growth. While in some wounds slough and necrotic tissue are easily identified, others may seem ‘clean’ to the human eye, however, delays in wound healing suggest possibility of infection within the wound bed. The ability to identify bacteria within a wound allows for targeted wound debridement to ensure healthy tissue remains undamaged, targeted sampling of wounds, and effective use of antibiotics.

The MolecuLight i:X is a non-contact, safe and portable hand-held device allowing real time identification of bioburden within a wound bed. It allows clinicians to quickly visualise and identify bacterial presence within a wound bed or surrounding tissue. The MolecuLight i:X emits an ultraviolet light that identifies bacterial load of ≥10⁴ CFU/g within a wound by fluorescing red or cyan depending on bacteria identified.

The use of the Moleculight i:X within the Pegg Leditschke Children’s Burns Centre has allowed us to identify infections within a wound, provide targeted non- excisional wound debridement to wounds, identify effectiveness of wound debridement and provide accurate pathology testing. This technology has also been used pre skin grafts to ensure absence of bacteria within a wound.