Browsing by Author "Daeschlein, Georg"

Background. Today, highly sophisticated devices deliver cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) with a multitude of bioactive properties, opening the window to a new medical field: plasma medicine. Different techniques to create the optimal plasma device for different medical indications are currently being explored. However, even a 100 years ago, CAPP was briefly used in the related form of high-frequency therapy. The objective of our study was to compare historic with modern techniques regarding antimicrobial efficacy. Methods. First, 26 different clinical isolates of relevant wound pathogens were treated in vitro with a historic violet wand (VW) and 2 modern plasma sources (kINPen 09 and dielectric barrier discharge [DBD]) and the obtained inhibition areas (IAs) were compared. Second, a biofilm model was used to compare biofilm inactivation by VW, DBD, ethanol, and polyhexanide treatment. Results. DBD with the largest electrode produced the largest IAs. VW showed results similar to 2 different modes of the kINPen 09. IAs of VW were enlargeable by attaching a larger electrode. Against biofilms, VW was less effective than DBD but more effective than ethanol 70% and polyhexanide. Conclusion. The proven antimicrobial efficacy of VW may encourage the development of new, potent plasma devices based on the very simple and inexpensive technique of the historic high-frequency apparatus.

Background: Cold plasma, a new treatment principle in dermatology based on ionic discharge delivering reactive molecular species and UV-light, exhibits strong antimicrobial efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Before implementing plasma as new medical treatment tool, its safety must be proven, as well as assessing skin tolerance and patient acceptance. Patients and Methods: We investigated the plasma effects of three different plasma sources (pulsed, non-pulsed atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) and a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD)) on the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin moisture after treating the fingertips of four healthy male volunteers. Results: TEWL values were reduced by pulsed APPJ and DBD by about 20% but increased after non-pulsed APPJ by 520%. TEWL values normalized 30 min after all forms of plasma treatment. Skin moisture was increased immediately and 30 min after treatment with pulsed APPJ but was not affected by non-pulsed APPJ and DBD. Conclusions: All plasma treatments were well-tolerated and did not damage the skin barrier nor cause skin dryness. Cold plasma fulfils basic recommendations for safe use on human skin and as future option may serve as the first physical skin antiseptic.

Plasma medicine has become an emerging field in medical sciences since cold plasma has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor as well as antimicrobial effects. In the light of increasing resistance of many pathogens like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to a multitude of antimicrobial therapies cold plasma therapy with complete different modes of action could constitute an alternative to conventional external antibiotic and antiseptic therapies. As plasma susceptibility data of human skin and wound pathogens are not available, the susceptibility of 105 typical isolates from dermatologic patients' wounds to low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma (APPJ device) and dielectric barrier discharge plasma device are tested in vitro. Plasma treatment proved to be highly effective in eradicating all (n?=?105) strains including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella group (K. pneumoniae ssp. pneumoniae, K. oxytoca), S. aureus, hemolysing Lancefield Streptococci (group A and B), Proteus group (P. mirabilis, P. vulgaris), Acinetobacter spp., Stenotrophomonas spp., Enterococcus faecalis, Candida albicans and Staphylococcus epidermidis. In conclusion, cold plasma treatment exhibited strong and rapid antimicrobial effects against clinical most relevant skin and wound pathogens in vitro. Cold plasma may constitute an effective alternative to antiseptics in the attempt to eradicate skin and wound pathogens.

Plasma medicine has become an emerging field in medical sciences since cold plasma has demonstrated important antimicrobial properties. As microbial plasma susceptibility data yet are not available, the susceptibility of 194 wound isolates exhibiting multiple antibiotic resistance was tested in vitro to CP and correlated with inhibition zones. Inhibition zones increased in parallel with the number of antibiotic classes to which the tested strain exhibit resistance. CP exhibited strong antimicrobial efficacy against most important clinical skin and wound pathogens in vitro irrespective of multidrug resistance.