THE EFFECTS OF NONTHERMAL PULSED ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY (DIAPULSE(R))ON WOUND-HEALING OF PRESSURE ULCERS IN SPINAL CORD-INJURED PATIENTS -A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND-STUDY

Objective: To determine if Diapulse(R) treatment significantly increas es the healing rate of pressure ulcers in patients with spinal cord in juries. Design: Randomized, double-blind study with a follow-up period of 12 weeks or until healed. Setting: Population consisted of volunte ers admitted to a Veterans Administration Hospital in New York state o ver a two year period. Patients: Thirty male spinal cord-injured patie nts, 20 with stage LI and 10 with stage III pressure ulcers. Intervent ion: Non-thermal, pulsed, high-frequency, electromagnetic energy (Diap ulse) treatment for 30 minutes twice daily for 12 weeks or until heale d. Main Outcome Measure: Percent of pressure ulcer healed at one week. Results: Of the 20 patients with stage II pressure ulcers, the active Diapulse group had a significantly increased rate of healing with a g reater percent of the ulcer healed at one week than the control group (84.0% vs. 40.0%, P=0.010). After controlling for the baseline status of the pressure ulcer, active Diapulse treatment was independently ass ociated with a significantly shorter median time to complete healing o f the ulcer (13.0 vs. 31.5 days, p=0.002). Stage III pressure ulcers h ealed faster in the Diapulse treatment group but the sample size was l imited. Conclusion For spinal cord-injured men with stage II pressure ulcers, active Diapulse treatment significantly improved healing.