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Updated: Jul 23, 2026
Severe Burn Injury in a Swine Model for Clinical Dressing Assessment
Published on: November 6, 2018
Direct current reduces wound edema after full-thickness burn injury in rats
C S Chu1, N P Matylevich, A T McManus
1United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 78234-6315, USA.
Objective:
To observe the effect of 4 and 40 microA direct current (DC) on edema formation after burn injury in rats.
Design, Materials, And Methods:
Silver-nylon wound dressings were used as either anodes (-) or cathodes (+) on 20% total body surface area full-thickness scalds in anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. Untreated burned rats and rats treated with silver-nylon dressings without current were used as controls.
Measurements And Main Results:
Immediately applied, continuous DC reduced burn edema by 17 to 48% at different times up to 48 hours postburn (p < 0.001). Neither reversal of electrode polarity nor change in current density had any significant effect on the results of treatment. Starting treatment during the first 8 hours postburn produced the least edema accumulation, but the reduction was significant even when DC was applied 36 hours afterburn. If started immediately after injury, treatment had to be continued a minimum of 8 hours to be most effective.
Conclusions:
Direct electric current has a beneficial effect in reducing wound edema after burn injury.
