Experimental evidence for the use of high-intensity pulsed broadband irradiation in the treatment of infected wounds

BACKGROUND: Infections in surgical practice remain one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine.

AIM: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of high-intensity pulsed broadband irradiation for infected wounds in an experimental setting using cytological monitoring.

METHODS: The experiment was conducted on 90 male Wistar rats using a model of infected skin wounds created with a mixed culture of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans. All animals were randomly divided into three groups of 30 animals each. In group 1, the wounds and the surrounding area were treated with high-intensity pulsed broadband irradiation using an experimental device with a pulsed xenon lamp operating in a pulsed-periodic mode at a frequency of 5 Hz and an average ultraviolet C (UV-C) emission power of 200–280 nm. Group 2 used conventional UV irradiation with a mercury bactericidal lamp emitting in the UV-C spectrum of 180–275 nm. Both groups received irradiation for 10 days, followed by only local wound treatment. In group 3, the wounds were treated with antiseptic only. Cytological examination of wound scrapings was performed. Cytological samples were evaluated qualitatively by cytogram type and quantitatively by counting cellular elements. Non-parametric statistical methods were applied, including the Shapiro–Wilk and Friedman tests with calculation of the concordance correlation coefficient, Wilcoxon signed rank test with Bonferroni correction, and Pearson’s chi-square (χ²) test.

RESULTS: Before treatment, cytological profile corresponded to the degenerative/necrotic or inflammatory degenerative types, with no significant differences between the groups. On day 7, 12 (40%) animals in group 1 exhibited regenerative-type cytograms, whereas 18 (60%) animals demonstrated inflammatory-regenerative-type cytograms. The distribution of animals in group 1 by cytogram type was significantly different from other groups (p < 0.0001; χ² = 31.2; p < 0.0001; χ² = 42.0). By day 14, regenerative-type cytograms were observed in the majority of animals in groups 1 and 2 (90% and 63.3%, respectively), whereas in group 3, most animals (66.7%) maintained the inflammatory-regenerative cytogram type (p < 0.0001; χ² = 49.56; p < 0.0001; χ² = 31.6 compared with groups 1 and 2).

CONCLUSION: The use of broadband pulsed high-intensity irradiation for treating infected wounds, as compared with traditional UV irradiation and local drug therapy, enables earlier suppression of inflammation and accelerates reparative processes.