Blue light emission in the management of chronic wounds: our experience

Background and aim A hard-to-heal wound has been defined as one that fails to heal despite standard therapy. The aim of the study was to promote the healing process of hard to heal wounds by using a portable and easy to use device, equipped with an adjustable optical head with Light Emitting Diodes (LED)* emitting blue light, maximum optical power density of 120 mW/cm2 covering a diameter of 5 cm. Methods We enrolled, obtained informed consent, 20 patients affected by venous leg ulcers confirmed by eco-color Doppler. We divided the patients in two groups, 10 patients treated with the blue light once a week, 10 patients treated with the standard of care, both for 16 weeks. A comprehensive wound assessment, including wound size by centimetric scale, pain scoring with VAS scale and EQ-5D-5L were provided. We performed a follow up visit after 4 weeks. Results At the end of the study 14 patients (70%) obtained a reduction in wound size, 4 patients (20%) were completely healed, and 2 patients (10%) showed a worsening. The NRS score showed a 50% reduction in all patients after 16 weeks. The follow-up visit showed 7 (35%) wounds increased in size, 8 (40%) wounds improved, 4 (20%) patients were completely healed, and 1(5%) patient didn’t perform this visit. The evaluation of quality of life showed increase in 65 % of patients. Conclusions According to these preliminary data, the blue LED device* is promising in terms of wound healing promotion and patient quality of life improvement. Further studies will be necessary to confirm our results.