Wound Healing in Humans by Optimization of Low Frequency Signal for Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy

Abstract

A wound, in clinical terms, is any tissue injury that causes skin rupture which penetrates epidermis and dermis layers leading to uncovering of underneath tissues or organs. Wounds can be superficial or deep, acute or chronic, with minor to serious implications depending on the source, extent, and location. Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMF) may have varying effects depending on the type of target tissue. Triggering a biological event requires a specific signal to be applied. The effectiveness of a PEMF device is mostly determined by the waveforms utilized in conjunction with the pulsing frequency. Choosing the right PEMF signal is a crucial step in developing a device that can address the challenges associated with chronic wound healing and speed up the healing process. Therefore, the optimization of the signal generator unit in the PEMF system for wound healing applications is a necessity before starting the further process. Hence, the present work of optimization of the PEMF system was carried out by selecting an optimal signal on the signal generator which produces a significant quantity of current in the particular tissue site to provide improved wound healing results. A total of 120 signal generator designs were simulated and optimized to six signal generators having frequencies of 10Hz, 20Hz, 30Hz, 40Hz, 50Hz, and 100Hz and duty cycle 25%. For both groups, the average frequency and duty cycle were calculated and tested using independent samples t-test to see if there were any differences between them. No statistically significant difference was found for frequency (p=0.9977) and duty cycle (p=0.5090). Because of the necessity of the right PEMF signal selection for every trial to be successful, this work will act as a gateway for selecting, understanding,` and considering the proper signal which could initiate the respective biological effect and accelerate the wound healing process.