Early Experience Using Low-Frequency Ultrasound in Chronic Wounds

Abstract

In Brief Periodic wound debridement promotes healing in chronic wounds. Low-frequency ultrasonic debridement (LFUD) is a promising adjunct to wound care, which offers relatively painless debridement and bacterial biofilm destruction. We performed LFUD on 17 patients over 8 months, with a minimum follow-up of 3 months. Nine of the wounds (53%) healed primarily or with the aid of a skin graft. Six additional patients (35%) experienced a wound-size reduction of at least 50%. The remaining 2 patients (12%), one with sickle cell anemia and one with a venous stasis ulcer, had reductions in wound area of 20%-30%. None of the patients required initiation of antibiotic treatment after starting LFUD. LFUD has had an early favorable experience in our institution. Further randomized clinical studies are required to better define the mechanism of action and the patient populations most appropriate for this modality. One hundred seven low-frequency ultrasonic debridements were performed on 17 acute and chronic wounds over 8 months with at least 3 months’ follow-up. Nine healed primarily or with a skin graft, 6 shrank by >50%, and 2 shrank by 20–30%.