title: Electrical stimulation therapy increases rate of healing of pressure ulcers in community-dwelling people with spinal cord injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether electric stimulation therapy (EST) administered as part of a community-based, interdisciplinary wound care program accelerates healing of pressure ulcers in people with spinal cord injury (SCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-blind, parallel-group, randomized, controlled, clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-based home care setting, Ontario, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults (N=34; mean age +/- SD, 51+/-14y) with SCI and stage II to IV pressure ulcers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were stratified based on wound severity and duration and randomly assigned to receive either a customized, community-based standard wound care (SWC) program that included pressure management or the wound care program plus high-voltage pulsed current applied to the wound bed (EST+SWC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Wound healing measured by reduction in wound size and improvement in wound appearance at 3 months of treatment with EST+SWC or SWC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage decrease in wound surface area (WSA) at the end of the intervention period was significantly greater in the EST+SWC group (mean +/- SD, 70+/-25%) than in the SWC group (36+/-61%; P=.048). The proportion of stage III, IV, or X pressure ulcers improving by at least 50% WSA was significantly greater in the EST+SWC group than in the SWC group (P=.02). Wound appearance assessed using the photographic wound assessment tool was improved in wounds treated with EST+SWC but not SWC alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate that EST can stimulate healing of pressure ulcers of people with SCI. EST can be incorporated successfully into an interdisciplinary wound care program in the community.
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation and Geriatric Care Center, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada. phoughto@uwo.ca <phoughto@uwo.ca>
authors.forename: Pamela E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Houghton
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Christine H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: Connie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Keast
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Potter
authors.forename: Keith C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: M Gail
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Woodbury
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000150:complications; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D014945:Wound Healing