ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of two stimulation waveforms on wound healing in rats. METHOD: 30 Sprague-Dawley rats with a 7-mm diametrical round incision including skin and subcutaneous tissue on the dorsum were divided into three groups. A(n=10) and B groups(n=10) were given rectangular and triangular monophasic pulsed current 1 hr daily until the wound healed completely (duty cycle 10%, absolute spatial current density 0.022 mA/cm2 for A group and 0.011 mA/cm2 for B group), and C group (n=10) received no electrical stimulation. As the indicator of wound healing effect, percentage of reduction in wound area, duration of complete healing and antibacterial effect were evaluated and statistically compared among three groups. RESULTS: The mean values of percentage of reduction in wound area were 75.1+/-3.0% for A group, 74.2+/-5.1% for B group and 68.7+/-5.4% for C group. The mean values of duration of complete healing were 11.1+/-1.3 days for A group, 12.0+/-1.4 days for B group and 16.1+/-1.0 days for C group. The mean antibacterial effect were 0.5+/-0.5 for A group, 0.6+/-0.5 for B group and 2.1+/-0.6 for C group on 2 days post wounding, and 0.4+/-0.5 for A group, 0.5+/-0.5 for B group and 1.4+/-0.7 for C group on 6 days post wounding. Although those for A and B groups were significantly different from those for C group, no significant difference in all values of three indicators existed between A and B groups. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that two stimulation waveforms have no significantly different effects on wound healing in rats.