Efficacy of Low-frequency Monophasic Pulsed Microcurrent Stimulation Therapy in Undermining Pressure Injury: A Double-blind Crossover-controlled Study

OBJECTIVES: This double-blind crossover-controlled trial aimed to verify the effect of electrical stimulation therapy on pressure injuries with undermining. METHODS: : In this trial, we compared the healing rates between a sham period and a treatment period using monophasic pulsed microcurrent therapy. The participants were randomly assigned to the sham or treatment group and received stimulation for 2 weeks. All the participants, physical therapists, and researchers were blinded to the allocation. For the main analysis, data on the effect of the intervention on changes in weekly healing and contraction rates of the wound areas, including undermining, were analyzed based on a two-period crossover study design. The intervention effect was estimated by examining the mean treatment difference for each period using Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test. RESULTS: : The reduction of the entire wound area, including the undermining area, resulted in significantly higher healing and contraction rates in the treatment group (overall wound area reduction rate: contraction rate, P=0.008; period healing rate, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: : Electrical stimulation therapy for pressure injuries, using conditions based on the findings of an in vivo culture study, was effective in reducing the wound area.