Abstract:

Objective

To explore the effect of low-frequency pulse electrical stimulation on the healing of deep partial-thickness burn wounds.

Methods

Sixty patients with deep partial-thickness burns who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were admitted to Department of Burns and Cutaneous Surgery， the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from March to December 2023 were enrolled.The patients were randomly divided into observation group and control group by random number table method，with 30 patients in each group.In both groups， 10 cm×10 cm deep partial-thickness burn wounds were selected as the test area.In the control group， patients were treated with 1% silver sulfadiazine cream on the wound surface once a day.On the basis of the same treatment in the control group， patients in the observation group were treated with low-frequency pulse electrical stimulation for 3 days using low-frequency electronic pulse therapy instrument， the frequency was 50 Hz，and the current intensity was 20 mA，once a day for 30 minutes each time.The blood flow perfusion in the wound was measured before treatment and at 1，2， and 3 days after treatment.The wound healing rate was calculated at 7， 10， and 14 days after treatment.The degree of pain during dressing change was assessed before treatment and at 3，7，and 14 days after treatment， and adverse events during treatment were recorded.

Results

Before treatment and on the first day after treatment， the wound blood perfusion values were （203.53±40.99）PU and （227.53±37.79）PU in the observation group， and（213.13±32.19）PU and （223.07±31.35）PU in the control group， there was no significant difference between the two groups （t=-1.009， 0.498； P=0.317， 0.620）.On the 2nd and 3rd day after treatment， the wound blood perfusion values of the observation group were （254.20±32.24）PU and （277.93±26.99）PU，which were significantly higher than（234.23±27.14）PU and（245.13±23.92）PU of the control group，the differences were statistically significant （t=2.595， 4.982； P＜0.05）.On the 7th，10th and 14th day after treatment，the wound healing rates of observation group were （16.70±4.68）%， （58.63±10.39）% and （89.03±10.72）%， which were higher than （12.33±4.19）%，（51.60±6.95）% and （82.10±7.12）% of the control group，the differences were statistically significant （t = 3.806， 3.038， 2.949； P ＜0.01）.Before treatment， VAS scores of the observation group and the control group were （7.87±1.25） points and （8.03±1.19） points， with no statistical significance （t=-0.529， P=0.599）.The VAS scores of the observation group were （4.23±0.94） points，（3.42±1.04） points and （1.57±0.89） points on the 3rd， 7th and 14th day after treatment， which were lower than （5.57±1.01） points， （4.27±0.98） points and （2.20±0.93） points of the control group， the differences were statistically significant （t=-5.316， -3.194， -2.692； P ＜0.01）.No adverse events occurred during treatment in both groups.

Conclusion

Low-frequency pulse electrical stimulation can significantly improve the early microcirculation of deep partial-thickness burn wounds， increase the wound healing rate， effectively relieve pain symptoms， and thereby promote the healing of deep partial-thickness burn wounds.

Key words: Low-frequency pulsed electrical stimulation, Deep partial-thickness burn, Wound healing, Blood perfusion