A Non-Contact Imaging-Based Approach to Detecting Stage I Pressure Ulcers

Abstract

This paper describes a non-contact imaging-based method to detect stage I pressure ulcers over a wide range of melanin levels. Two approaches were explored: the first used broad and narrow band visible spectrum imaging, and the second used near infrared (NIR) imaging. Preliminary results are presented together with results of numerical analysis of different erythema indices derived from the visible spectrum images. The results have shown that a low-cost imaging-based approach to detecting pressure ulcers is feasible and can yield promising results when applied to subjects with darker skin pigmentation.