AN INFINITE ELEMENT MODEL TO STUDY TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS DURING WOUND HEALING PROCESS AFTER PLASTIC SURGERY

Abstract

The study of temperature regulation of human body will help to better understand the physiology and functioning of every biological system. Skin is the largest organ of the integumentory system playing an important role to maintain the body core temperature (Tb) at 37°C. Any disturbance in the temperature regulation may cause lots of abnormality in the body. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of temperature variations of tissues of human peripheral region during wound healing process after plastic surgery. An attempt has been made to study temperature variations of normal region (region before surgery) as well as abnormal region (region after surgery) of human peripheral region after the plastic surgery at different atmospheric temperatures and rates of evaporation for an undressed wound by extending finite domain to infinite using infinite element method (IEM). The two-dimensional peripheral region (skin and subcutaneous tissues) consists of finite triangular elements of very small size and the infinitely long rectangular elements. The appropriate shape functions are used for the elements. Physiological parameters like thermal conductivity, rate of metabolism, blood mass flow rate, latent heat, rate of evaporation etc. are used along with the proper initial and boundary conditions. The temperature variations are noted for tissue of donor site (normal region) as well as tissues after surgery (abnormal region). The information obtained from this model can be of great use for biomedical scientists for application in treatment of various diseases as well as helpful to develop protocols for medical purpose.