Cold atmospheric plasma: a new modality to treat chronic diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and pressure ulcers

Abstract

This study investigates the efficacy and safety of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) in the treatment of 12 patients suffering from chronic wounds, focusing on diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), venous leg ulcers (VLUs), and pressure ulcers. Chronic wounds represent a significant challenge in healthcare, often taking months to years to heal and imposing a substantial economic and quality of life burden on patients. CAP, an ionized gas at room temperature, is a source of reactive species, neutral particles, electromagnetic fields, and weak UV radiation. Its interaction with human cells stimulates wound healing processes, including cytokine release and angiogenesis, while exerting a bactericidal effect on prokaryotic cells. On average the 12 subjects had a percentage area reduction (PAR) of 21%, within the VLU group 60% of the subjects achieved a >40% PAR, and in the DFU group, 50% of the participants achieved a >40% PAR. Despite promising evidence from various studies, more data is needed to establish CAP as a standard treatment. This study contributes to the existing knowledge by evaluating the safety and effectiveness of CAP in treating long-standing and treatment-resistant ulcers. The study utilized the plasma care® device, a compact medical device that generates CAP using ambient air and energy. The plasma care® has shown notable efficacy in deactivating various bacteria and fungi, irrespective of antibiotic resistance.

Keywords

Related in Clinical Guidelines and Wound Care Practices

• A Global Perspective on Wound Care
• A New Term: The Point of Pathogenicity
• Consensus principles for wound care research obtained using a Delphi process