Surgery: light – thermal – and electrical application – Light – thermal – and electrical application – Light application
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-29
2001-09-04
Henley, III, Raymond (Department: 1614)
Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application
Light, thermal, and electrical application
Light application
C607S088000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283986
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to medical treatments, and more specifically to the treatment of wounds.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The treatment of infected open wounds has long been a troublesome area of medical practice. An initial stage of wound healing is characterized by the formation of granulation tissue, which is a matrix of collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid carrying macrophages, fibroblasts and neovasculature that forms the basis for subsequent epithelialization of the wound. Infection (including that by bacteria, mold spores, yeast, and virus) can hinder the formation of granulation tissue within the wound, thereby inhibiting healing.
Many infected wounds, and in particular those infected with bacteria, are treated with antibiotics. These therapeutic agents can be applied topically or administered via some other route, such as orally. Unfortunately, due to the constant use (and perhaps the overuse) of antibiotics, some bacteria have evolved to become resistant to antibiotics. As a result of the therapeutic failure of some front-line antibiotics, the medical community is faced with developing new patient treatment options.
It has been known for some time that ultraviolet (UV) light can have antimicrobial effects. See, e.g., Licht, Therapeutic Electricity and Ultraviolet Radiation (Waverly Press, 1967). Early experiments demonstrated that properties of sunlight (either a heating effect or a property of the sun's rays itself) could prevent bacterial growth. Later, UV light was shown to be bacteriocidal to many bacteria, including
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphlococcus, Streptococcus, Bacillus anthrasis,
and
Shigella dysenteriae.
UW light has also been a common treatment for tuberculosis of the skin. Id.
UV light can be divided into different classes based on wavelength, including ultraviolet A (UVA) at about 350 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB) at about 300 nm, and ultraviolet C (UVC) at about 250 nm. Not unexpectedly, the effectiveness of UV light in producing biological changes can differ at different wavelengths.
For wound healing, the use of UV light is attractive in that it is a non-pharmalogical treatment that is non-invasive to the wound. It has been demonstrated that UV light can increase epithelial cell turnover, release prostaglandin precursors and histamines, increase vascular permeability, accelerate DNA synthesis, and inactivate bacterial cells. However, UVA and UVB have been shown to cause damage to the skin, particularly in the form of sunburn and blistering, each of which would be undesirable, particularly to an open wound; also, these forms of UV radiation have been demonstrated to be carcinogenic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a non-pharmacologic, non-invasive treatment of wounds.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a wound treatment that can address infections of microorganisms that are antibiotic-resistant.
It is a further object to provide such a treatment that lacks the undesirable side effects of UVA and UVB light.
These and other objects may be satisfied by the present invention, which is directed to a method of treating wounds through the application of UVC radiation to the wound for a time and at a proximity and intensity sufficient to have a bacteriocidal effect. The method is particularly effective when carried out with a UVC lamp having an intensity of between 5 and 20 W/cm
2
, with a duration of between about 5 seconds and 1 minute and a proximity to the wound of between about ¼ and 3 inches from the wound being preferred. It has been observed that such application of UVC radiation can kill up to 100 percent of the microorganisms present in a wound, thereby enabling the wound to heal free of infection.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5871522 (1999-02-01), Sentilles
E. L. Nussbaum et al;Comparison of Ultrasound/Ultraviolet-C and Laser for Treatment of Pressure Ulcers in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury; Physical Therapy vol. 74, No. 9 (Sep. 1994).
Mike Enghauser et al;Exposure to Germinicidal Ultraviolet Radiation at Duke University Medical Centerl North, (Apr. 28, 1993) pp. 4-29.
A. S. Carlsson et al;Ultraviolet radiation and air contamination during total hip replacement, Journal of Hospital Infection (1986) 7, pp. 176-184.
M. Berg-Perier et al;Ultraviolet Radiation and Ultra-clean Air Enclosures in Operating Rooms, Ultraviolet Radiation in Operating Rooms, The Journal of Arthroplasty, vol. 7, No. 4; (Dec. 1992) pp. 457-463.
M. Berg-Perier;Ultraviolet Light in Operating Rooms, (1992) pp. 8-93.
T. A. Conner-Kerr;The Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria In Vitro, Ostomy/Wound Management, vol. 44, No. 10, (Oct. 1998) pp. 50-56.
Henley III Raymond
Medfaxx, Inc.
Myers Bigel & Sibley & Sajovec
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