Influence of Cold Exposure on Thermal Burns in the Rat

¹ From the Aviation Medical Acceleration Laboratory, Johnsville, and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Burns were produced over a 225-mm² area of the back of 120 Wistar strain rats by exposure to water at 55°C for 15, 20, 25 and 40 seconds. Animals maintained in the laboratory at 25°C developed burns as follows: 15 seconds—edema; 20 seconds—threshold burn, +1; 25 seconds—second degree burn, +2; 40 seconds—full thickness burn, +3. An equal number of animals burned in the same way were placed in the cold room (1–4°C) hour postburn for a period of 4 days. The cold exposure reduced the skin temperature over the burned area from 34° to 30°C. The development of the burn was mildly inhibited by exposure to cold so that in the experimental rats the severity of the burn and the healing time were much reduced. A 14-day exposure to the cold had no greater effect than a 4-day exposure. Delaying the cold exposure by 2 days had an inverse effect causing an increase in burn severity and healing time. Cold exposure had greatest effect in the mildest burns. From the above observations it is inferred that a) tissue damage continues in the postburn period following mild thermal burns, b) exposure to cold reduces the burn severity and healing time if applied soon after the burn and c) the evidence obtained gives quantitative support for the concept that pain is associated with progressive tissue damage.

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