Bone and Joint Institute
A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF LOW FREQUENCY (22.5 kHz) CONTACT ULTRASOUND DEBRIDEMENT ON HEALING IN A VASCULAR SURGERY PATIENT POPULATION
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2016
Journal
JOURNAL OF WOUND OSTOMY AND CONTINENCE NURSING
Volume
43
Issue
3
First Page
S4
Last Page
S4
Abstract
PURPOSE: To determine whether 22.5 kHz low-frequency contact ultrasound debridement (LFCUD) applied in a nurse-led vascular wound clinic improves lower extremity wound healing in people with peripheral vascular disease (PVD). DESIGN: Randomized controlled clinical trial; single blinded. METHODS: Consecutively sampled adults (n = 68) with below knee, full-thickness wounds > 1 cm2 and followed by the Vascular Surgery service were stratified based on negative pressure wound therapy and randomly assigned to standard wound care (SWC) which included conservative sharp debridement, or LFCUD plus SWC. Healing was determined incorporating baseline data as covariates, to calculate percentage reduction in wound surface area (% WSA) and change in wound appearance (revised Photographic Wound Assessment Tool: revPWAT) after 4 weekly treatments of SWC, or LFCUD + SWC. RESULTS: The mean %WSA reduction posttreatments (Week 5) was greater (31.63%) in the LFCUD group than in the SWC group (18.06%), but this finding was not statistically significant (p = 0.485). Wound appearance was significantly improved (p ≤ 0.01) in the LFCUD group which declined by 7.34 revPWAT points (5.8-8.9, 95% CI) compared to SWC group of 2.98 revPWAT points (1.4-4.6, 95% CI). By Week 5 only LFCUD patients had closed wounds (n = 2) or were ready for skin grafting (n = 2). CONCLUSION: LFCUD improves wound appearance in patients with PVD, supports closure and is suitable for nurse application.
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Notes
This is an abstract.