ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively evaluate the ability of high voltage pulsed current (HVPC) to increase microcirculation in critically ischemic wounds (transcutaneous oxygen [TcPO2] less than 10 mm Hg) and, as a result, to improve wound healing.
DESIGN AND METHODS: Clinical case series with successive adult diabetic subjects (3 men and 3 women) with nonsurgical ischemic malleolar or inframalleolar skin lesions, each subject serving as his or her own control. Wound area and TcPO2 were measured periodically. Presence of distal arteriosclerosis was assessed on 5 patients by 2-dimensional, time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography. End point was either complete wound closure or leg amputation.
RESULTS: Maximum mean TcPO2 was 2 +/- 2 mm Hg at the wound edge before the start of electrotherapy. After electrotherapy began, maximum TcPO2 was 33 +/- 18 mm Hg (N=6;P <.05, Wilcoxon signed rank test). After treatment with HVPC, 4 patients' wounds healed and 2 patients underwent amputation. As expected, healed patients initially deteriorated after the start of treatment, but their wounds began healing when the perilesion TcPO2 measurement exceeded 20 mm Hg. Thereafter, the wounds closed at a predictable rate. Complete closure occurred for patients who had a relatively low atherosclerotic burden.
CONCLUSION: The results of this clinical case series suggest that electrotherapy can improve periwound microcirculation of ischemic inframalleolar skin lesions.