Tissue repair after surgical debridement with diode laser (980 nm) and surgical debridement combined with photobiomodulation (808 nm) in pressure wounds in a murine model.

PURPOSE

To assess the biological impact on tissue repair of diode laser debridement (980 nm) compared to surgical debridement with scissors and forceps, and surgical debridement in combination with photobiomodulation.

METHODS

Pressure wounds were created on the backs of male BalbC/Mus musculus mice. After hair removal, two round ferrite magnet plates (12 mm × 4 mm, 1000 gauss, 10.3 g each) were applied to compress the dorsal skin of each animal for three cycles of 12 h. The animals were divided into three groups of 12 animals: G1 - surgical debridement; G2 - surgical debridement and photobiomodulation (808 nm, 2 J, 100 mW, one central point); and G3 - diode laser debridement (980 nm, continuous mode, 1.2 W). The debridement was performed on the 5th day after injury, and euthanasia occurred on the 7th and 9th day after debridement. The injured area was monitored until day 12 or day 14, depending on the euthanasia schedule.

RESULTS

The acute inflammatory process was not statistically different in any group after seven or nine days. However, regarding the chronic inflammatory process, lower inflammation scores were observed in G2 and G3. G2 showed a more advanced repair process compared to the other groups.

CONCLUSION

Surgical debridement associated with photobiomodulation presented the best results in reducing the inflammatory process and enhancing tissue repair. The use of the diode laser (980 nm) may be an efficient option in debriding pressure wounds and did not present significant detrimental effects when compared to the other studied debridement modalities.