Treatment of Chronic Venous Ulcer with Cold Atmospheric Plasma Jet

Abstract

Nowadays, cold atmospheric plasma jet (CAP-jet) shows interesting results in the dermatology sector, particularly focusing on wound healing and antimicrobial properties. The purpose of this case report is to present a nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma treatment as a novel therapy for venous ulcers. The plasma consists of ionized helium gas that is produced by a high-voltage (4.5 kV) and high-frequency power supply (22 kHz). We here present a 65-year-old man with a slow-healing ulcer on the right lower limb. The CAP was applied to the ulcer twice a week for four consecutive weeks and the patient was followed for 6 weeks. The amount of exudate, ulcer size, and wound grading were determined weekly. The results showed that exudate from the ulcer significantly reduced in the first week after complete treatment, the wound grading of the ulcer improved by the second week, and the size of the ulcer significantly decreased after 2 weeks. The ulcer entirely healed after 4 weeks without any signs of infection. This case study demonstrates that applying CAP-jet can decrease the bacterial load on the ulcer site and stimulate tissue regeneration concurrently. This increases the speed of the healing process.