Wound Therapy Applications Device for Venous Leg Ulcers - Medical / Health Care
Chronic wounds represent a silent epidemic that affects a large percentage of the world population and poses a major and gathering threat to the public’s health and the global economy.
-
Most popular related searches
Details
The cause:
- Wounds, including venous leg ulcers often have impaired blood flow2,3.
- Impaired calf muscle pump function increases venous stasis and venous hypertension, and can negatively impact the severity of venous ulcerations4,5,6,7.
The treatment:
- Improved blood circulation results in enhanced wound closure3,8, a natural healing response.
- The geko™ device increases venous, arterial and microcirculatory blood flow in the lower limb in patients with chronic venous insufficiency9,10 and intermittent claudication11. It also reduces oedema12,13, activates the calf muscle pump14 and maintains TCpO2 – promoting conditions suitable for wound healing15,16.
A case series evaluation conducted by Professor Keith Harding, at the Welsh Wound Innovation Centre (WWIC) in Cardiff (UK), has investigated the therapeutic effect of geko™ neuromuscular electrostimulation device on wound healing outcomes over an 8-week period. Findings support use of the geko™ device in patients with painful venous and mixed leg ulceration in conjunction with best practice standard care. The geko™ device was effective in reducing the wound surface area and increasing the mean percentage of granulation tissue formation. 52% reported a substantial reduction in wound pain17.
Contrast speckle imaging from a single WWIC case study (shown opposite) demonstrates a 225% increase in microcirculatory blood flow in the wound bed, and a 67% increase in microcirculatory blood flow surrounding the peri-wound area, after activation of the geko™ device. The increase in blood flow to the wound bed promotes conditions favourable to wound healing17.
What is geko™ wound therapy?
Self-contained and wearable, the geko™ device:
- Uses low frequency, single short pulses (1 Hz) to stimulate the nerve, compared to the much higher frequency (>30 Hz) required to stimulate muscle, resulting in a pain-free experience.
- By stimulating the common peroneal nerve, geko™ activates the extensor muscles and stretches the antagonistic flexor muscles, acting as a calf muscle pump14.
- Increases superficial femoral venous volume flow by 100%, femoral arterial volume flow by 75%18 and microcirculatory blood flow to the skin on the dorsum of the foot16 and thigh19 by 400%.
- Increases blood flow equal to 60% of that achieved when walking20.
- Benefits patients with chronic venous insufficiency over time9,10.
- Small, lightweight (just 10g) and easy to use – enables the patient to be as mobile and independent as possible.
Benefits
In addition, consider the geko™ device:
- In the management of lower leg oedema that is contributing to reported pain.
- In the management of stalled, chronic VLUs that are not progressing along the expected healing trajectory (or wounds that can be predicted to be slow in healing from the onset).
- In conjunction with compression or when high compression cannot be tolerated.
- For patients with fixed ankle joints, those who are bedridden or those who have limited mobility.
Unpublished evidence in an Ontario Home Care setting evaluation suggests this may be a first line treatment in conjunction with traditional therapy21.