Efficacy, Tolerability and Patient Benefit of Ultrasound-Assisted Wound Treatment versus Surgical Debridement: A Randomized Clinical Study

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Abstract
Background: Low-frequency ultrasound has been shown to be an alternative to surgical wound debridement (WD) to stimulate wound healing; however, few data are available. Objective: To compare the efficacy, tolerability and benefit of both wound treatment methods. Methods: A monocentric prospective randomized-controlled clinical study assessing patient-reported outcomes and clinical efficacy of ultrasound-assisted wound treatment (UAW) compared to WD. Results: In total, 67 patients were treated. Efficacy and tolerability were found to be good for both treatments, with 88% of UAW and 85.2% of WD patients experiencing more-than-minimal patient benefit. Quality of life improved significantly. Wound status improved and pain decreased in both groups. Conclusion: Compared to the gold standard (i.e. WD), UAW displays the same high efficacy, comparable patient benefit and improved quality of life. Both procedures are equally suitable for highly beneficial guideline-based treatment of chronic wounds.