Treatment of a large infected thoracic spine wound using high voltage pulsed monophasic current

Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA 19102.

This case report describes the use of electrical stimulation with high voltage pulsed monophasic current for treatment of a large, infected wound of the thoracic spine, following a surgical debridement procedure. The patient was a 21-year-old man with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy who was dependent for all self-care and was severely mentally retarded. The initial wound size was as follows: length = 17 cm, top width = 7.5 cm, middle width = 5.5 cm, bottom width = 2 cm, and depth = 5 cm. The wound was infected with Staphylococcus aureus. The initial treatment consisted of 60 minutes of electrical stimulation (20 minutes of negative polarity followed by 40 minutes of positive polarity) once daily. The frequency of treatment was increased to twice daily after 2 weeks. Total treatment duration was 10 weeks. The patient received antibiotic treatment and daily nursing wound care in addition to electrical stimulation treatment. The wound was completely closed after 10 weeks of treatment. The possible role of high voltage pulsed monophasic current in accelerating the wound-healing process is discussed.

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