A burn injury area is drawn by selecting a starting point with the left mouse button and then moving the cursor to a new point, re-anchoring the cursor, and continuing in a 'connect the dots' fashion. The cursor will 'rubberband' a line from the previous point anchored until the left button is again pressed.

A burn injury area is completed by pressing the right mouse button. (Mac-user note...) This closes the polygon by drawing a line from the last anchored point (not the current cursor location) back to the original starting point. This will also refresh the diagram image.

By experimenting with a sample area, the concept of anchor points becomes obvious. With practice, and liberal use of the tracing function, images can be easily created for any burn area shape or size.

Burn areas can be drawn with very few points spaced far apart, or by simply holding down the left button and outlining the injury area, effectively creating a continuous set of anchor points. The most efficient diagrams, in terms of creation and storage, are created using a combination of both techniques. Most patient images consist of several different injury areas. We have found that it takes some practice before users become comfortable with drawing diagrams, so we suggest practicing with simple areas first, before tackling complex burn diagrams.

Palettes:
A burn area may be defined as partial or deep, depending on the burn palette selected. To change the current palette, simply select a color from the palette centered in the drawing window. Two non-burn palettes have multiple definitions available that can be set by the user for a given diagram.

The Amputation palette is used in the same way as the other palettes, but the areas defined with the Amputation palette are considered by SAGE II to be removed tissue, and all calculations are adjusted for this loss. Remember to define symetrical amputations on both the Anterior and Posterior sides of the diagram for the affected limb.

The Text palette can be used to add text anywhere over the diagram. While the Text palette is selected, new text may be entered by double-clicking the mouse anywhere over the diagram. This opens a new "text entry" window, where you type in the desired line of text, and select either the [Ok] or [Cancel] button. Once a text entry is created, it may be dragged to a new location, edited by double-clicking it with the mouse, or deleted by clicking the [Delete] button and selecting the text.

Calculations:
To calculate surface areas, click the [Calculate] button. Any deep areas are included in the total burn surface area. Any area outside the body that is accidentally 'painted-in' will not be included in the calculations. SAGE II will calculate separate totals for deep areas, partial areas, and all non-burn palettes in use. Parkland fluid resuscitation estimates are provided for burns over 20% TBSA.

Results:
Both weight and height must be provided before SAGE II will display body areas as cm^2. To toggle between displaying body areas as % or cm^2, click on either column heading - "% area" or "cm^2" - and SAGE II will redisplay the results.

Unit converter:
To convert inches to centimeters, or pounds to kilograms, click on the label "Kilos" or "Ht.(cm)" - and SAGE II will popup a handy converter.


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