Laser ablation of burns: Initial clinical trial

Treatment of burn scars with the 1,550 nm nonablative fractional Erbium Laser

“…Laser treatment provides removal of scar tissue and remodeling of new collagen via precise wounding and healing of the laser wound, even for extensive burn scar surfaces. Other laser modalities have been tried, with varying levels of success 6–12. Fractional laser resurfacing may be particularly well suited for treatment of burn scars because of the depth of penetration it achieves.…”

“…Burn scars are currently managed with surgical reconstruction, pressure therapy, silicone gel sheets, temporary pressure garments, and adjuvant topical drug treatments 3–6. Since the 1970s, several laser treatment modalities have also been tried, with varying levels of success 6–12. The continuous wave lasers, including continuous wave carbon dioxide, argon, and Nd:YAG achieved some improvement; however, their use was limited by the inherent problems of continuous mode lasers 6.…”

“…These continuous lasers produced variable results secondary to both proficiency of the operator as well as the properties of the laser, which in some cases caused adverse pigment changes and worsening of scars. Scanning CO 2 lasers have been used to debride burn wounds, but without clinically improved scar outcome 10. The most successful outcomes to date have been achieved with pulsed dye lasers.…”

Burn Wound Healing and Tissue Engineering

“…A study of CO 2 laser ablation in full thickness porcine burns demonstrated that long-term scarring, based on Vancouver scar scale assessments and histologic evaluation, was equivalent at 6 months in laser-ablated and sharply excised burns 36 . While use in humans is limited, 38 a pilot study in 21 children with full thickness burns demonstrated the feasibility of laser vaporization of burn eschars in patients with successful immediate autografting 39 . Since then, major refinements and advances in laser technology have occurred that will likely further enhance this methodology for eschar removal.…”

Débridement von Verbrennungswunden - Nutzen und Möglichkeiten

“…Die Abtragung von Gewebe mittels eines Lasers stellt eine weitere Möglichkeit des Débridements dar. Durch klinische und experimentelle Untersuchungen konnte gezeigt werden, dass gepulste CO 2 -beziehungsweise Erbium : YAG-Laser eine effiziente und präzise Zellabtragung gewährleisten [33,45,50]. Als weiterer Vorteil wurde das blutarme Arbeiten aufgeführt [33].…”