Using high-voltage electrical stimulation in the treatment of recalcitrant pressure ulcers: results of a randomized, controlled clinical study .

 The use of electrical stimulation has been studied in a variety of wounds emphasizing different variables with regard to provision of therapy. The purpose of this prospective, randomized, controlled clinical study was to evaluate the effect of high-voltage electrical stimulation (HVES) on nonhealing, lower-extremity, Stage II and Stage III pressure ulcers. Patients admitted for care and eligible to participate in the study received standard supportive care and topical treatments covered with wet-to-moist dressings. Patients assigned to the treatment arm of the study also received HVES (100 V; 100 µs; 100 Hz) continuously for 50 minutes once daily, five times per week. Patients were followed until healing for a maximum of 6 weeks. Wound tracings and measurements were obtained weekly. Over a 4-year period, 26 patients were enrolled in the treatment and 24 in the control group. Ulcers had existed for an average of 3.17 and 2.83 months in the treatment and control groups, respectively. Most were classified as Stage II (17 in the treatment and 16 in the control group) with an average baseline size of 4.54 cm2 and 3.97 cm2, respectively. Wound areas and linear measurements decreased significantly in both groups (P <0.05), but increases in granulation tissue were significant in the treatment group only (P = 0.006). Wound area, linear measurement, wound volume, and granulation tissue changes were statistically significantly greater in the treatment than in the control group starting in the second week of treatment. Week 6 surface area change was 88.9% (SD 14) in the treatment and 44.4% (SD 63.1) in the control group (P = 0.00003). Correlation coefficients between changes in wound surface area, longest length, and longest width were R = 0.96 and R = 0.98 in the treatment and R = 0.94 and R = 0.89 in the control group. HVES improved the healing rate of recalcitrant Stage II and Stage III pressure ulcers. Research to compare the effectiveness of using cathodic and anodal stimulation combined or alone and to determine the optimal duration of these two types of electrical stimulation is warranted.

[The opportunities of the photodynamic therapy (PDT) in bones' tumours treatment]. / Mozliwosci zastosowania terapii fotodynamicznej w nowotworach kosci.

The bones tumors represent in orthopedic surgery frequently affection. Among the most often diagnosed primary malignant bones tumors there are: osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, gigantocellular tumour of the bone, the Ewing sarcoma. Nearly 35% patients, who start their treatment, have unfortunately, disseminated neoplastic illness (metastases). The much bigger problem (25 times often find than primary neoplasms) are metastatic tumours direct to the bones. Inspite of accessible widespread therapeutic spectrum (multidrugs chemotherapy, surgical tumors' resection, radiotherapy, interferon, genic therapy) five years patients' survival are observed only in small percentage. Therefore, there is a requirement to find more effective and also less invasive method of treatment. The submission of this method seems to be photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT based on the cytotoxic activity of the laser light and photosensitizer on the neoplastic tissue. Nowdays, there are accepted lines of conduction and closely characterized the indications to PDT in neoplastic diseases. Based on a high grade of efficiency, and also selectivity of PDT, it seems very purposeful to make the investigations about possibilities of PDT in the neoplastic tumours in orthopedics.

[PDT photodynamic therapy in orthopedic inflammatory conditions?]. / Terapia fotodynamiczna w ortopedycznych stanach zapalnych?

The infections in orthopedic surgery and traumatology represents important medical problem. The results of treatment of motor-organs infections in high degree were improved by the introduction of antisepsis and asepsis in XIX century and the antibiotics' discovery in the beginning of XX century. However, widespread usage of antibiotics leaded to the rise of refractory tribes of bacteria on their activity, which caused higher percentage of fails in the therapy. Also the rapid civilization development, which flown on arising of a new invasive methods of operative trauma protection and stabilizations of fractures in motor-organs area increased the number of infectious complications during treatment. These facts gave a reason to look for a more effective therapeutic methods. It seems that photodynamic therapy gives us the new possibilities of infectious treatment, which avails oneself activity of therapeutic light laser with proper wave length on the human tissue with photosensitizer included. Indeed there are known until now splendid results of PDT in neoplasma treatment, however it seems, based on experimental investigations and publications in medical literature, that this method can be a chance of effectual and non-invasive treatment of the soft tissues and bones inflammations.