Using electroceutical treatment to reduce symptoms and improve healing in chronic wounds
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence & Practice Previous     Next

Using electroceutical treatment to reduce symptoms and improve healing in chronic wounds

Elizabeth Mary Ovens Independent tissue viability nurse, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, England

Chronic inflammation in a wound is often associated with infection and biofilm, which are linked to raised matrix metalloproteinases (elevated protease activity [EPA]) and reduced cell production along with growth hormones in the wound bed. This causes persistent challenges to healthcare professionals and increases the costs of wound management; the related symptoms also affect the quality of life (QoL) of patients living with wounds that are hard to heal.

Electrical energy known as the ‘current of injury’ is required to assist in tissue repair. It allows different cell types, such as white blood cells, growth factors, enzymes and fibroblasts, into the wound to allow for stimulation of cell proliferation and collagen synthesis. In chronic wounds, the current of injury becomes disrupted due to biofilms, infection and unhealthy tissue in the wound bed. This prevents the wound from going through normal physiological healing.

Use of electrical stimulation and electroceutical treatment effectively restores the current of injury, expediting normal healing and reducing chronic inflammation, biofilms, infection and associated symptoms, such as pain and high exudate. Clinical outcomes and QoL are improved and there are also economic benefits.

Primary Health Care. 27, 6, 22-27. doi: 10.7748/phc.2017.e1277

Correspondence

lizovens@gmail.com

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Conflict of interest

None declared

Received: 07 February 2017

Accepted: 16 March 2017

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more