(402) Lower Extremity Ulcers and Skin Temperature

Over the past four decades, infrared (IR) devices, including thermometers and thermographic cameras, have transformed temperature measurement in healthcare, providing a non-invasive, efficient, and accurate means of assessing skin temperature (Tsk). This session will focus on the critical role that IR technology plays in preventing lower extremity ulcers including venous leg and diabetic foot ulcers. These devices enable clinicians and patients to monitor Tsk as an early warning sign of vascular abnormalities and skin changes associated with chronic venous disease, diabetes, and neuropathy. This session will highlight the gap in current clinical practice, where manual palpation of the skin is still widely used to assess temperature despite its subjectivity and variability between clinicians. These IR devices, on the other hand, offer objective, sensitive, and reproducible measurements that can enhance skin assessment and promote early intervention for prevention of ulcers.