An interdisciplinary team of German researchers is using cold plasma to speed up the healing of external wounds. The technique relies on creating a high voltage drop between a special device, called the PlasmaDerm, and the skin. The air within this region turns into a cool ionized gas, known as cold plasma. The researchers conducted a review to assess the potential dangers of cold plasma on humans, since it’s never been used for clinical purposes. Their conclusion was that there’s nothing to be concerned about and they moved to test the technology on real patients.

What they found was that the bacterial count within the wounds treated with cold plasma went down, while the electric field applied by the hand-held plasma device promoted blood circulation and oxygenation of the wound tissue. The result is faster healing with little discomfort.

The researchers behind the project are hoping that this technology may find its way into the hands of consumers for treating everyday injuries such as bruises, while for clinicians a modified form of the technology may be used to assess wounds in a new manner.

Source:Cinogy.de