Doppler ultrasound procedures vary depending on whether the arterial or venous system is being tested. Elastic Bandages Elastic bandages are used to hold primary dressings in place. Top of the page Electrical Stimulation Electrical stimulation is the application of electrical impulses to treat musculoskeletal pain, muscle dysfunction, and soft tissue trauma by causing physiologic changes at the tissue and cellular level. Electrical stimulation delivers electrical current into wound tissues by the capacitive technique of placing two electrodes in direct contact with the periwound skin or through a moist dressing on the wound. The electrical current has positive or negative polarity depending on the therapeutic benefit desired, such as increased blood perfusion and cutaneous pO2, increased immigration of repair cells into the wound, autolysis, edema management, and bacteriostasis.
Electrical stimulation is used to accelerate the closure of chronic wounds, such as pressure ulcers.
Treatment protocols, intensities, voltages, pulse rates, polarities, and electrode placements have varied from study to study. Switching the polarity in the early phases of treatment and alternating polarity may be required for chronic wound treatment. There are a variety of mechanical means of delivering a cleansing solution to the wound bed. The purpose of pressurized wound irrigation is to clean foreign material and loose necrotic tissue from the wound. A wound can be irrigated with isotonic saline or with a commercial wound cleanser.