Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Oct 26, 2023; 11(30): 7277-7283
Published online Oct 26, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i30.7277
Efficacy of lidocaine wet compress combined with red-light irradiation for chronic wounds
Man-Zhen Bao, Lian-Bang Zhou, Ling Zhao, Hui Zhang, Yuan Li, Li Yang, An-Ting Tai
Man-Zhen Bao, Department of Nursing, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, Anhui Province, China
Lian-Bang Zhou, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, Anhui Province, China
Ling Zhao, Department of General Surgery, Huaibei People’s Hospital of Anhui Province, Huaibei 235000, Anhui Province, China
Hui Zhang, Yuan Li, Li Yang, An-Ting Tai, Department of Outpatient, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, Anhui Province, China
Author contributions: Bao MZ and Zhou LB proposed the concept of this study; Zhao L and Zhang H contributed to data collection; Li Y and Yang L contributed to formal analysis; Tai AT and Bao MZ participated in the survey; Zhou LB, Li Y, and Yang L contributed to these methods; Zhao L, Zhang H, and Bao MZ guided the research; Tai AT, Bao MZ, and Zhou LB validated this study; Zhao L and Bao MZ contributed to the visualization of this study; Bao MZ and Zhou LB have prepared the first draft; Zhao L, Zhang H, Li Y, Yang L, and Tai AT jointly reviewed and edited the manuscript.
Supported by Scientific Research Fund of Anhui Medical University, No. 2020xkj197.
Institutional review board statement: This study has been reviewed and verified by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Lian-Bang Zhou, MS, Attending Doctor, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 678 Furong Road, Economic Development Zone, Hefei 230601, Anhui Province, China. zhoulianbang@163.com
Received: August 3, 2023
Peer-review started: August 3, 2023
First decision: August 16, 2023
Revised: August 24, 2023
Accepted: September 28, 2023
Article in press: September 28, 2023
Published online: October 26, 2023
Processing time: 82 Days and 23.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Chronic wounds that fail to progress through normal phases of healing present a significant healthcare burden owing to prolonged treatment and associated costs. Traditional wound care typically involves regular dressing changes, which can be painful. Recent approaches have explored the use of lidocaine to manage pain and red-light irradiation (RLI), known for its anti-inflammatory and cell proliferation effects, to potentially enhance wound healing.

AIM

To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of lidocaine wet compression (LWC) combined with RLI for chronic wounds.

METHODS

We enrolled 150 patients with chronic wounds from the Wound and Ostomy Outpatient Clinic of the Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University from April to September 2022. The wounds were treated with dressing changes. The patients were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups using a random number table and given the same first dressing change (2% LWC for 5 min and routine dressing change). From the second dressing change, in addition to 2% LWC for 5 min and routine dressing change, the experimental group received RLI, whereas the control group continued to receive the same LWC and dressing change. The first and second dressing changes were performed on days 1 and 2, respectively. The third dressing change was performed 3 d after the second change. The frequency of subsequent dressing changes was determined based on wound exudation and pain. Pain during the first three dressing changes was evaluated in both groups. The average number of dressing changes within 28 d and the degree of wound healing on day 28 were also recorded.

RESULTS

During the initial dressing change, no noticeable differences were observed in the pain levels experienced by the two groups, indicating similar pain tolerance. However, during the second and third dressing changes, the experimental group reported significantly less pain than the control group. Furthermore, over 28 d, the experimental group required fewer dressing changes than the control group.

CONCLUSION

Notably, the effectiveness of wound healing on the 28th day was significantly higher in the experimental group than that of in the control group. The combination of LWC and RLI was effective in reducing early-stage pain, promoting wound healing, decreasing the frequency of dressing changes, and enhancing patients’ overall quality of life with chronic wounds.

Keywords: Chronic wound; Lidocaine; Red light; Pain; Quality of Life; Wound exudation

Core Tip: The combination of lidocaine wet compression (LWC) and red-light irradiation (RLI) has shown promising results for the treatment of chronic wounds. A study involving 150 patients demonstrated that the addition of RLI to LWC resulted in reduced pain during dressing changes, improved wound healing, decreased the frequency of dressing changes, and enhanced overall quality of life. During the second and third dressing changes, the experimental group experienced significantly less pain than the control group. Over 28 d, the experimental group required fewer dressing changes on average and achieved higher effectiveness in wound healing by day 28. This combination therapy has the potential to provide effective relief to patients with chronic wounds and improve their outcomes.