Determination of a relationship between bacteria levels and tissue pH in wounds: animal studies

The objective of this research is to develop a methodology and means for achieving instantaneous and objective estimations of wound properties. The level of bacterial contamination in wounds is a well known indicator of the condition of a wound; however, clinicians do not currently have the methodology or instrumentation to quantitatively measure the amount of bacteria in the wound without significant time delays. Tissue pH levels have been found to correlate to a wound's properties, including tissue perfusion and bacteria levels. A custom-made electronic pH monitor which interfaces to a laptop computer is used for measurement of tissue pH. A micro-pH combination electrode along with special software algorithms are utilized to obtain accurate measurements. The main hypothesis of the project is that a correlation exists between bacteria and tissue pH levels in chronic wounds. A rat model was designed for animal testing. Preliminary results support the principal hypothesis.