NEWS Health News New Portable Ozone Therapy System Helps Treat Chronic Wounds By Kara-Marie Hall, RN, BSN, CCRN Kara-Marie Hall, RN, BSN, CCRN LinkedIn Kara-Marie Hall, RN, BSN, CCRN, is a registered nurse with over a decade of patient experience and a certification in critical care nursing. Learn about our editorial process Updated on October 01, 2020 Fact checked Verywell Health content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by James Lacy Fact checked by James Lacy LinkedIn James Lacy, MLS, is a fact-checker and researcher. James received a Master of Library Science degree from Dominican University. Learn about our editorial process Share Tweet Email Print Purdue University / DeEtte Starr Key Takeaways A team of researchers created a portable system that treats chronic wounds via ozone therapy. About 6.5 million people in the U.S. live with chronic wounds.Certain pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, can lead to chronic wounds. If not adequately treated, these wounds can have dangerous consequences, like infection. Roughly 6.5 million people in the U.S. live with chronic skin wounds, which are often difficult to treat. But on September 3, Purdue University researchers announced the development of a portable wound care system for people who suffer from antibiotic-resistant chronic wounds. Because chronic wounds on the skin are prone to bacterial infections, they often don't heal very quickly. Although antibiotics are prescribed for wound infections, some bacteria become resistant to antibiotic therapy. For this reason, the Purdue team created an alternative treatment option. “We created a revolutionary type of treatment to kill the bacteria on the surface of the wound or diabetic ulcer and accelerate the healing process,” Rahim Rahimi, PhD, one of the device's creators and an assistant professor of materials engineering at Purdue University in Indiana, stated in a press release. The new device is portable, making it a potentially simpler treatment option for patients with chronic wounds. And in order to function, the device instills the help of something called ozone therapy. What This Means For You If you or a loved one has a wound that is not healing properly, it may be chronic. A chronic wound can be painful and dangerous, especially if it is infected. Speak to your doctor so they can help you determine a treatment plan. The portable wound care system developed by the Purdue team may provide another viable treatment option in the future. What Is Ozone Therapy? Ozone is a colorless gas composed of oxygen. The Purdue team’s study, published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, found that applying ozone topically not only destroys wound bacteria, but also helps increase oxygen delivery to the wound, accelerating the healing process. Learn How Medical Ozone Therapy Can Help Your Spine Notably, the FDA doesn’t support the use of ozone therapy. In 2019, the administration considered ozone a toxic gas with no useful medical applications. However, a 2019 study concluded that, for diabetic foot ulcers, ozone therapy significantly reduced healing time versus routine diabetic foot care. Usually, patients travel to a clinic to receive ozone therapy. However, this newly-developed treatment opens the possibility of receiving ozone therapy at home. How Does the Device Work? The researchers created a wound care device built on three main components: A wound patch made of synthetic, permeable Rayon-Spandex knit fabricA reusable, battery-powered deviceA cord—connected from the patch to the device—that delivers the ozone therapy to the wound care site After six hours of ozone therapy, the researchers saw greater than 70% reduction in S. epidermidis, a common antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria. They also found that the treatment completely eliminated P. aeruginosa, another common bacteria, without causing any damage to surrounding tissue. How Are Chronic Wounds Usually Treated? “First, it is important to determine the underlying cause of why the wound is not healing,” Azure Adkins, MD, a general surgeon at Austin Regional Clinic in Texas, tells Verywell. She says once the cause is determined, such as an infection or poor blood flow, there may need to be changes made, such as: Starting or changing antibioticsControlling blood sugar levelsGetting a vascular procedure to improve blood flow to the wound Sometimes, the wound care itself may be the problem. In this case, family and caregiver support is crucial. “For patients who live alone and have little mobility, it may be important for a home health nurse or a clinic to perform dressing changes more consistently to ensure the wound heals properly,” she says. Risk Factors for Chronic Wounds “Certain medical problems and wound factors will predispose patients to issues with healing, which leads to chronic wounds,” says Adkins. She says these factors include: Cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseaseDiabetesObesityPoor nutritionRespiratory illnessesSmoking Chronic wounds disproportionately affect older adults, especially those with limited mobility and fragile skin. The most common types of chronic wounds are venous and arterial ulcers, diabetic ulcers, and pressure ulcers. They usually affect the legs and bony areas, such as the heels, tailbone, and elbows. Treating and Preventing Skin Ulcers Dangers of Chronic Wounds According to Adkins, an infected chronic wound can lead to serious complications, including: NecrosisGangreneTissue LossOsteomyelitis (bone infection) “If these complications occur, there may be a need for more invasive and extreme procedures for wound management, such as cutting away dead tissue or even amputation,” she says. The healing process for a chronic wound can be long and arduous, especially if it’s infected. The portable wound care system developed by the Purdue team may provide another viable treatment option. According to the press release, the team is currently seeking partners to continue product development. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 7 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Järbrink K, Ni G, Sönnergren H, et al. Prevalence and incidence of chronic wounds and related complications: a protocol for a systematic review. Syst Rev. 2016;5(1):152. doi:10.1186/s13643-016-0329-y Purdue University. Wearable, portable invention offers options for treating antibiotic-resistant infections, wounds. Frykberg RG, Banks J. Challenges in the Treatment of Chronic Wounds. Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle). 2015;4(9):560-582. doi:10.1089/wound.2015.0635 Roth A, Elkashif A, Selvamani V et al. Wearable and flexible ozone generating system for treatment of infected dermal wounds. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020;8. doi:10.3389/fbioe.2020.00458 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Code of Federal Regulations Title 21. Izadi M, Kheirjou R, Mohammadpour R et al. Efficacy of comprehensive ozone therapy in diabetic foot ulcer healing. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews. 2019;13(1):822-825. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2018.11.060 Gould L, Abadir P, Brem H, et al. Chronic wound repair and healing in older adults: current status and future research. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015;63(3):427-438. doi:10.1111/jgs.13332