Cold atmospheric plasma for clinical purposes: Promising results in patients and future applications

Abstract

Infected chronic wounds are both socioeconomic and medical problem. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has already proven its efficacy in killing bacteria on agar plates but also the first prospective randomized controlled trial in patients. As an add-on therapy CAPs proved a highly significant decrease in bacterial load in 5 min plasma-treated wounds (34%, p < 10 -6, n = 291, 36 patients) in comparison with wounds that received only standard wound care. This reduction is found in all kinds of germs, even multiresistant ones. Two minutes of plasma treatment led to a significant reduction in bacterial load as well (40%, p < 0.016, n = 70, 14 patients). The treatment is very well tolerated and no side effects occurred until now (in total more than 2,000 treatments in over 220 patients). The results of this study revealed the potential of atmospheric argon plasma treatment as a new approach to kill bacteria in terms of mutiresistancy. With the same CAP device other dermatologic diseases were treated successfully, e.g. Hailey-Hailey disease. New plasma devices using surrounding ambient air have not only greater bactericidal but also virucidal properties. These devices may herald a new era in public, personal, pet, and food hygiene, same as in decontamination. Investigations of human compatibility are promising. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.