Water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA) in acute and chronic wounds

  • Water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA), as a special form of heat radiation with a high tissue penetration and a low thermal load to the skin surface, can improve the healing of acute and chronic wounds both by thermal and thermic as well as by non-thermal and non-thermic effects. wIRA increases tissue temperature (+2.7°C at a tissue depth of 2 cm), tissue oxygen partial pressure (+32% at a tissue depth of 2 cm) and tissue perfusion. These three factors are decisive for a sufficient supply of tissue with energy and oxygen and consequently also for wound healing and infection defense. wIRA can considerably alleviate pain (without any exception during 230 irradiations) with substantially less need for analgesics (52–69% less in the groups with wIRA compared to the control groups). It also diminishes exudation and inflammation and can show positive immunomodulatory effects. The overall evaluation of the effect of irradiation as well as the wound healing and the cosmetic result (assessed on visual analogue scales) were markedly better in the group with wIRA compared to the control group. wIRA can advance wound healing (median reduction of wound size of 90% in severely burned children already after 9 days in the group with wIRA compared to 13 days in the control group; on average 18 versus 42 days until complete wound closure in chronic venous stasis ulcers) or improve an impaired wound healing (reaching wound closure and normalization of the thermographic image in otherwise recalcitrant chronic venous stasis ulcers) both in acute and in chronic wounds including infected wounds. After major abdominal surgery there was a trend in favor of the wIRA group to a lower rate of total wound infections (7% versus 15%) including late infections following discharge from hospital (0% versus 8%) and a trend towards a shorter postoperative hospital stay (9 versus 11 days). Even the normal wound healing process can be improved. The mentioned effects have been proven in six prospective studies, with most of the effects having an evidence level of Ia/Ib. wIRA represents a valuable therapy option and can generally be recommended for use in the treatment of acute as well as of chronic wounds.

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Author:Gerd HoffmannGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-227960
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000137
ISSN:1863-5245
Pubmed Id:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20204090
Parent Title (German):GMS Krankenhaushygiene interdisziplinär
Publisher:gms
Place of publication:Düsseldorf
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2012/04/05
Year of first Publication:2009
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2012/04/05
Tag:absent expenditure of material; acute wounds; chronic venous stasis ulcers of the lower legs; chronic wounds; contact-free method; energy supply; immunomodulatory effects; infection defense; inflammation; infrared thermography; infrared-A radiation; oxygen supply; problem wounds; prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind studies; quality of life; reduction of pain; thermal and non-thermal effects; thermic and non-thermic effects; thermographic image analysis; tissue blood flow; tissue oxygen partial pressure; tissue temperature; visual analogue scales (VAS); water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA); wound exudation; wound healing; wound infections
Volume:4
Issue:2, Doc12
Page Number:15
First Page:1
Last Page:15
Note:
© 2009 Hoffmann. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.
HeBIS-PPN:300297157
Institutes:Psychologie und Sportwissenschaften / Sportwissenschaften
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung-Keine kommerzielle Nutzung-Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen