Photobiomodulation as an Adjunct Therapy in Wound Healing

Abstract

“Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation” or more commonly known as Laser has become very popular in the field of dermatology and aesthetic medicine over the past decades. For the treatment of wound healing, a combination of different wavelengths for laser therapy has been introduced which includes 660, 800, and 970 nm. The aim of this study was to note wound healing utilizing photobiomodulation as an adjunct therapy by measuring the wound size in terms of length and width (area measurement). Study participants were selected randomly from a pool of patients who were attending for their routine follow-up visits in the Wound Care Unit in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Eleven patients with chronic wounds of different etiologies, ie, diabetic foot ulcer and nonhealing ulcer, were recruited for this study . Wound assessment was done prior to cleansing using distilled water and followed by debridement if necessary. Subsequently, the laser technician and patients used protective goggles before applying a super intense continuous flow of laser with 3 wavelengths, ie, 660, 800, and 970 nm with 30 kJ of energy with the handpiece over a 3 min period whereby it is focused on the wound milieu and then rotated around the periwound area. There were 9 diabetic foot ulcers and 2 nonhealing ulcers treated with photobiomodulation as an adjunct therapy. All wounds were managed with the standard of care. Three wounds ie, 3 diabetic foot ulcers and 1 nonhealing ulcer were closed completely. Meanwhile, the other 7 ulcers are at 68.2% to 99% in terms of wound area reduction and new granulomatous tissue was present indicating high healing potential. Therefore, the photobiomodulation was effective as an adjunct in the management of diabetic foot and nonhealing ulcers in this case series. A larger sample size would be able to show the significance of this finding.