The Healing Effect of Low-Temperature Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma in Pressure Ulcer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Pressure ulcers are difficult to treat. Recent reports of low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasma (LTAPP) indicated its safe and effectiveness in chronic wound care management. It has been shown both in vitro and vivo studies that LTAPP not only helps facilitate wound healing but also has antimicrobial efficacy due to its composition of ion and electron, free radicals, and ultraviolet ray. We studied the beneficial effect of LTAPP specifically on pressure ulcers. In a prospective randomized study, 50 patients with pressure ulcers were divided into 2 groups: Control group received standard wound care and the study group was treated with LTAPP once every week for 8 consecutive weeks in addition to standard wound care. We found that the group treated with LTAPP had significantly better PUSH (Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing) scores and exudate amount after 1 week of treatment. There was also a reduction in bacterial load after 1 treatment regardless of the species of bacteria identified.