Chronic wounds are the result of healing that has become arrested in the inflammatory stage. They afflict ~ 6.5 million people annually in the United States. Because these wounds remain open for prolonged periods of time, they readily become infected by microbes that can form inflammatory biofilms that further exacerbate the healing process. To decrease wound bioburden and improve healing outcomes, cold atmospheric-pressure plasma (CAP) discharges have been explored as a treatment paradigm for chronic wounds. Here we report the development of a CAP array consisting of 8 parallel discharges and demonstrate its effectiveness in killing pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus (BAA-44) cells in an ex vivo porcine ear - wound biofilm model. Up to 95% reduction in viable Staphylococcus could be achieved with a 10-minute treatment using a humidified air plasma discharge. The results highlight the potential for CAP discharge technology to provide a useful, less painful alternative for the treatment of chronic wounds.

Application of cold atmospheric-pressure plasmas for the treatment of chronic wounds

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