Harnessing Non-Thermal Plasma to Supercharge Recovery in Abdominal Surgeries: A Pilot Study.

(1) Background: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of non-thermal plasma (NTP) therapy in accelerating wound healing in patients who have undergone laparoscopic and open surgeries. (2) Methods: NTP was applied using a needle-type reactor with an irradiance of 0.5 W/cm2 on the surgical wounds of fifty patients after obtaining informed consent. Three NTP treatments, each lasting three minutes, were administered hourly. (3) Results: The pilot study showed that NTP-treated surgical wounds healed completely without any signs of infection, dehiscence, pain, or itching. Notably, patients reported minimal pain after the NTP treatment. Visual assessments conducted twenty-four hours after surgery revealed no redness or fluid discharge. Comparisons with traditionally sutured wounds indicated that NTP-treated wounds healed at a rate equivalent to seven days. (4) Conclusions: The application of NTP in laparoscopic and open wounds proved safe and effective, expediting the wound healing process and eliminating clinical risks post-surgery. Significantly, NTP facilitated a healing rate within twenty-four hours, equivalent to seven days for suture-treated wounds, significantly reducing the hospitalization time to a single day. These findings highlight the potential of NTP to be a transformative approach for promoting postoperative recovery.

Innovative Curved-Tip Reactor for Non-Thermal Plasma and Plasma-Treated Water Generation: Synergistic Impact Comparison with Sodium Hypochlorite in Dental Root Canal Disinfection.

Non-thermal plasmas (NTPs), known as cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs), hold great potential for diverse medical applications, including dentistry. However, traditional linear and rigid dielectric barrier discharge reactors used for NTP generation encounter limitations in accessing oral cavities and root canals. To address this issue, we have developed an innovative NTP reactor featuring an angled end for improved accessibility. The central copper electrode, with a 0.59 mm diameter and adjustable length for desired angulation, is coated with zircon powder (ZrSiO4) to ensure stable NTP generation. This central electrode is housed within a stainless steel tube (3 mm internal diameter, 8 mm external diameter, and 100 mm length) with a 27° angle at one end, making it ergonomically suitable for oral applications. NTP generation involves polarizing the reactor electrodes with 13.56 MHz radio frequency signals, using helium gas as a working medium. We introduce plasma-treated water (PTW) as an adjunctive therapy to enhance biofilm eradication within root canals. A synergistic approach combining NTP and PTW is employed and compared to the gold standard (sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl), effectively neutralizing Enterococcus faecalis bacteria, even in scenarios involving biofilms. Moreover, applying NTP in both gaseous and liquid environments successfully achieves bacterial inactivation at varying treatment durations, demonstrating the device's suitability for medical use in treating root canal biofilms. The proposed NTP reactor, characterized by its innovative design, offers a practical and specific approach to plasma treatment in dental applications. It holds promise in combatting bacterial infections in root canals and oral cavities.

Healing of Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis by Non-Thermal Plasma: Pilot Study.

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common disease in the oral cavity characterized by recurrent ulcers (RU). Usually, these cause acute pain without definitive treatment. The present study determines the efficacy of non-thermal plasma (NTP) for treating RU. NTP is applied to the patient's RU using a radiofrequency generator connected to a point reactor. The power density applied to the ulcer is 0.50 W/cm2, less than 4 W/cm2, which is the maximum value without biological risk. Each patient received two treatments of three minutes each and spaced 60 min apart at a distance of 5 mm from the RU. From a sample of 30 ulcers in patients treated for RU with an average age of 37 years, they stated that the pain decreased considerably and without the need for ingestion of analgesics and antibiotics. Regeneration took place in an average of three days. The NTP proved to be an excellent therapeutic alternative for the treatment of RU since it has a rapid effect of reducing pain and inflammation, as well as adequate tissue regeneration.

Development and Characterization of a Non-Thermal Plasma Source for Therapeutic Treatments.

OBJECTIVE: an innovative non-thermal plasma (NTP) system constituted by a radiofrequency (RF) power generator directly coupled to a treatment probe is described and characterized. This system is intended to be applied as a medical device for therapeutic treatments. METHODS: electrical characterization of the radiofrequency power generator supplying the treatment probe was performed. Meanwhile, generated NTP was optically analyzed. Obtained data were studied to establish the safety profile of plasma application on heat sensitive matter. RESULTS: the NTP system was validated through bacterial deactivation trials, as well as, of being capable of deactivating carcinogenic cells. Besides promoting and accelerating wound closure in vivo performed in mice, demonstrating faster healing than that done with conventional treatments. CONCLUSION: the NTP system's characterization is an essential stage to determine the adequate application of the generated plasma over organic media. The therapeutic benefits of the NTP system were proved by the development of in vivo experiences involving laboratory mice. SIGNIFICANCE: the generated NTP interacts with surrounding air particles producing reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which, exhibit bactericidal and antiseptic effects due to their strong biochemical reactivity; functioning like critical mediators in animal physiology and promoting wound healing processes. These properties make the NTP system a feasible technology intended for therapeutic treatments.

Treatment in the healing of burns with a cold plasma source.

A cold plasma produced with helium gas was applied to two second-degree burns produced with boiling oil. These burns were located on a thigh and a shin of a 59-years-old male person. After the first treatment as benefit the patient neither presented itching nor pain and, after the second treatment, the patient presented new tissue. This result opens the possibilities of the application of a cold plasma source to health burns.

Accelerated mice skin acute wound healing in vivo by combined treatment of argon and helium plasma needle.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The efficacy of a direct application of plasma needle to in vivo wound healing was experimentally studied in mice. This kind of plasma has achieved considerable success in blood coagulation and tissue restoration in mice. In the development of the present study, an argon plasma needle was chosen for coagulation purposes, whereas for healing purposes, a helium plasma needle was used. METHODS: Treatment was applied with a plasma needle produced by argon and helium to a wound induced in laboratory mice. Tissue regeneration was carried out by three argon plasma treatments with 0.5 SLPM flow for 1 min and three treatments of helium with 1.5 SLPM flow. Intervals between each treatment were 5 min and 60 min for argon and helium plasmas, respectively, thus completing a total treatment time of 180 min. Histological sections were performed to corroborate the internal bleeding and tissue regeneration. RESULTS: After three treatments with argon plasma, the blood produced in the wound was coagulated and protein material appeared. By means of treatment with helium plasma, an approach of the wound edges was produced until the conclusion thereof. These results were corroborated histologically. CONCLUSIONS: This type of acceleration during the skin wound healing process can be attributed to the formation of reactive species such as NO, which were increased in the helium plasma needle with respect to the argon plasma needle.