Efficacy of pulsed shortwave diathermy on wound healing in children with burns

To observe the promoting effect of pulsed shortwave therapy on wound healing in pediatric patients with upper limb burns and explore its underlying mechanisms.

A total of 40 children with deep Ⅱ°upper limb burns treated in our hospital from June 2021 to June 2023 were enrolled, and randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 20 cases in each group. The control group received conventional dressings, and the observation group received conventional dressings combined with pulsed shortwave therapy. The wound healing time, first appearance of skin islands on the wound, and initial number of skin islands were observed and recorded using a camera. The proportion of granulation tissue area in the wound was observed using eKare inSight 3D. The positive rate of wound bacteria was detected by collecting wound secretions for bacterial culture examination. Blood flow perfusion on the wound was measured using a blood flow meter.

The observation group showed significantly faster wound healing and initial appearance of epithelialization (P<0.05), and obviously higher rate of granulation tissue growth than the control group (P<0.05). Moreover, the observation group demonstrated better control of bacterial infection in the wounds than the control group (P<0.05). Blood flow measurement results revealed no significant increase in blood flow perfusion after pulsed shortwave therapy in the observation group (P>0.05). However, with the elapse of time, both groups exhibited an increasing trend in blood flow perfusion (P<0.05).

Pulsed shortwave therapy effectively promotes wound healing in pediatric patients with burns, by facilitating necrotic tissue clearance and granulation tissue regeneration, which may be associated with its non-thermal effects.