Retrospective analysis of pulsed radiofrequency energy therapy use in the treatment of chronic pressure ulcers.

OBJECTIVE

: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the benefit of using pulsed radiofrequency energy (PRFE) therapy in the treatment of chronic pressure ulcers.

DESIGN

: A retrospective analysis was performed using case series data from the Provant Wound Registry, which consists of demographic characteristics and wound healing outcomes for patients treated with the Provant Therapy System.

SETTING

: The analysis subset consisted of data from 39 distinct centers, including both residential and ambulatory care facilities.

PARTICIPANTS

: The analysis included data from 89 patients. The majority of patients (89%) were cared for in residential facilities, whereas 11% of patients were cared for in ambulatory care facilities.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

: Specific outcomes that assessed wound healing between the initial time point and at the 4-week follow-up were as follows: percent wound surface area reduction (PWAR), proportion of wounds achieving 50% reduction or greater in wound surface area (50% PWAR), and the rate of wound healing (wound healing trajectory in centimeters squared per day).

MAIN RESULTS

: Overall, there was a 51% median reduction in wound surface area (PWAR) after 4 weeks of PRFE therapy for wounds in the study, with 51% of wounds (56/110) achieving 50% reduction or greater in wound surface area (50% PWAR). Rate of healing measurements for the overall study group showed a median wound healing trajectory of 0.13 cm/d at 4 weeks.

CONCLUSION

: Compared with historical controls and other studies using similar surrogate wound healing markers, these results suggest PRFE therapy is a beneficial adjuvant treatment option for healing chronic pressure ulcers.