Monochromatic phototherapy: effective treatment for grade II chronic pressure ulcers in elderly patients

Abstract

Background and aims: Monochromatic pulsating light may have effects on wound healing. In an earlier study of grade II ulcers, there was a tendency toward better healing in the phototherapy group (p=0.06). The present study on patients with grade II ulcers was performed to verify these findings. Data from this study were pooled with data from the earlier study.

Methods: Ninety-four patients were offered participation in the new study and 76 patients were evaluated. They were pooled with 87 patients from the earlier study, bringing the total to 163. All patients were treated with monochromatic pulsating light or placebo over the ulcerated area, according to a specified program up to 12 weeks.

Results: The mean normalized reduction in pressure ulcer size at week 12 was 0.79 for the phototherapy group and 0.50 for the placebo group (95% confidence interval 0.01-0.53; p=0.039). No serious side-effects were noted.

Conclusions: Monochromatic pulsating light accelerates healing in grade II pressure ulcers in elderly patients.