Blue LED treatment of superficial abrasions

A compact and easy-to-handle photocoagulation device was used for inducing an immediate coagulation effect in skin large superficial abrasions, reducing the recovering time and improving the wound healing process. The handheld illumination device consists of a high power LED, emitting in the blue region of the spectrum, mounted in a suitable and ergonomic case, together with power supply, electronics, and batteries. The working principle of the LED-based photocoagulator is a photothermal effect: the blue light is selectively absorbed by the haemoglobin content of the blood and then converted into heat. Here we present an in vivo study performed on animal models. 10 Sprague Dawley rats (Harlan, Italy, weighing 200-250 g) were used to study the wound healing process. On the back of each rat, four large abrasions were mechanically produced: two of them were used as a control, while the other two were treated with the photocoagulator, keeping it at a constant distance (2 mm) from the target, in continuous slow motion (treatment time: tens of seconds). The induced photothermal effect was monitored by an infrared thermocamera in order to avoid accidental thermal damage and to control the temperature dynamics during treatment. Objective observations, histopathological analysis and non-linear microscopy performed in a 8 days follow-up study showed no adverse reactions and no thermal damage in the treated areas and surrounding tissues. Moreover, a faster healing process and a better recovered morphology was evidenced in the treated tissue