Woundhealing with electrical stimulation

Synergy-Impulses in moist wound treatment. woundEL®-therapy is a highly effective combination of moist wound treatment and application of controlled, low frequency DC impulses. woundEL®-therapy was developed for the treatment of acute, subacute and chronic wounds.

The woundEL®-therapy system consists of a therapy device with dressing electrodes and a dispersing electrode. The therapy device generates adjustable low frequency DC impulses which are applied through the sterile dressing electrode to the wound and are collected to the dispersing electrode. The contact to the wounds of the sterile dressing electrode is a medical grade hydrogel layer which not only provides the required moist environment for healing but also absorbs excess wound liquid.

Electrical stimulation in wound healing
The therapeutic effectiveness of electrical stimulation in wound healing has been documented worldwide for over 35 years in more than 500 professional publications. Due to published basic research and numerous randomised clinical studies as well as two metaanalyses (1,2), woundEL®-therapy is classified - according to criteria of evidence based medicine - in Evidence Class Ia for clinical effectiveness.

Basic research has shown (3) that a physiological electrical field is one of the most important elements for the progress of wound healing.

• An electrical field together with normal sources of chemical gradients and a free wound edge enhance healing.
• An electrical field can override and dominate the healing influences of normal sources of chemical gradients and of a free wound edge.

• Chronic leg ulcers
• Decubitus pressure ulcers (grades 2 to 4)
• Wounds caused by diabetes mellitus (diabetic foot ulcers)
• Before and after plastic surgical interventions (wound bed preparation)
• Suture deshiscence
• Acute wounds (e.g. burns, abrasions)
• Chronic wounds, which are resistant to traditional therapy

Before starting the woundEL®- therapy, please mind following contraindications:

Effectiveness of the woundEL®-therapy

woundEL® stimulates the wound with low frequent DC impulses of negative or positive polarity. Depending on the wound stadium treatment starts with negative and later is stimulated with positive/negative polarity.
Depending on the polarity - woundEL®-therapy has the following effects:

• Initiation the wound healing process
• Wound cleaning
• Significant pain reduction in the wound site
• Granulation and epithelialization
• Angiogenesis
• Acts bactericidally

The woundEL®-therapy is used twice per day for 30 minutes. There should be a minimum of 6 to 12 hours between the treatments.

The economy of woundEL®-therapy:

woundEL®-therapy with DC impulses of low frequency achieves higher percentage of wound healing than with conventional treatment. The metaanalysis of Gardner et al1 shows, that treatment with electrical stimulation - woundEL®-therapy - can achieve wound healing 2,73 times faster than with conventional methods.
These clues indicate also a much shortened treatment duration compared to conventional or other device based methods which means better economy.

• Significant pain reduction
• Significant reduction of bacterial contamination
• Shorter duration of treatment and
• Increased quality of life for the patient