Ozone Therapy for Infected Wounds

Description:

Ozone therapy is an incredible treatment for infected wounds, especially chronic wounds that are stubborn to heal.

Chronic wounds present a significant burden to our health care system and patients. 

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) constitute a significant health and financial burden for millions worldwide. In 2016, SSTIs comprised 3.5% of all emergency room visits. 

And, to make matters worse, these numbers are only expected to rise in the years due to the ageing population and the increasing prevalence of diabetes associated with non-healing wounds and bedsores. 

This issue becomes further complicated when considering the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and infections caused by such. Infections caused by drug-resistance bacteria now affect over 2 million people in the US yearly.

Did you know that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aurous(MRSA), has been noted to kill more Americans every year than HIV/AIDS, emphysema, or homicide? 

The alarming decrease in antibiotic efficacy is startling and becoming evermore worse. 

For the reasons mentioned above, it is clear why ozone therapy has been proposed as a treatment for chronic wounds by its action of eliciting mild oxidative stress and disinfection.

Mounting evidence suggests that ozone is a viable treatment for chronic wounds.

A report published in International Wound Journal concluded that ozone therapy significantly improved wound closure. 

This report analysed nine studies of 453 patients.

The results consistently favoured the application of ozone as a treatment for chronic wounds and suggested that ozone could improve the proportion of chronic wounds healed in a shorter time.

Ozone proves to be a viable treatment avenue, especially in chronic wounds pertained to antibiotic-resistant infections. 

Topical ozone has solid antibacterial properties while stimulating local tissue repair and regeneration.

The effective bactericidal properties of the ozone delivery platform were confirmed with two of the most common pathogenic bacteria found in wound infections, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis. 

Furthermore, cytotoxicity tests with human fibroblast cells indicated that ozone poses no adverse effects on human cells.

Ozone is known to inactivate bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast and protozoa through the oxidation of phospholipids and lipoproteins in the cell envelope.

This fundamental mechanism leads to weakened and destroyed bacterial walls. 

Ozone also stimulates wound healing through applied oxidative stress, which leads to increased production and migration of wound healing factors, and increased oxygen levels at the wound site.

The main advantages of ozone are its relative ease of generation and controllability. 

Ozone also has a high biocompatibility with human fibroblasts cells, meaning that application of ozone results in little-to-none cytotoxicity. 

With the rise of diabetes and the fact that 85% of the global population is said to be metabolically unflexible and/or prediabetic, chronic wounds pose a huge risk to our society. 

Ozone and Diabetic Ulcer:

The Purdue team’s study, published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, found that applying ozone topically to diabetic ulcers destroys wound bacteria and helps increase oxygen delivery to the wound, accelerating the healing process.

After six hours of ozone therapy, the researchers saw a greater than 70% reduction in S. epidermidis, a common antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria. 

They also found that the treatment eliminated P. aeruginosa, another common bacteria, without causing any damage to surrounding tissue.

A systematic review of ozone therapy concluded that:

• Among 12 studies where ozone was implemented by topical application (ozone gas bath, ozonated oil, ozone water flushing) 
• And also systematic applications of ozone, including autologous blood immunomodulation and rectal insufflation.
• The results indicated ozone, compared with standard control therapy for diabetic foot ulcers, markedly accelerated the improvement of the wound area. 
• Ozone also reduced the amputation risk. 
• No adverse side effects were reported using ozone. 

In a case presentation of a 52-year-old patient with a 7-year history of type 2 diabetes, the patient underwent 70 μg/dL ozone therapy over 30 days in 10 sessions (one 20-minute session every three days).

After one month of wound-care using ozone therapy, the patient’s foot ulcer had healed, and he was discharged from our wound-care service with a stable and good general condition.

It is well established that ozone therapy is effective in: 

• Improving angiogenesis and fibroblasts.
• Accelerate the healing process.
• Reduce inflammatory response.
• Reduce oedema.

We must remember that ozone is a potent form of healing oxygen, so whenever a wound needs to be cleaned of biofilm, dirt and debris, and to be disinfected, the use of healing oxygen can be added to the tissue through the use of medical ozone. 

Instead of immediately reaching for antibiotics when treating wounds, it is important to consider medical ozone. 

On direct contact ozone kills microbes, yeast, mycoplasmas, viruses, bacteriophages and other organsisms that can make up a chronic, unhealing biofilm on skin 

Currently, we have no pharmaceutical drug in our arsenal with that range of efficacy. 

Ozone is particularly effective in resistant strains of microbes and antibiotics. 

Furthermore, use of antibiotics can lead to dysbiosis throughout the body. This type of side-effect does NOT happen in ozone.

Dysbiosis caused by antibiotics can lead to a whole host of other ailments down the road. 

We can no longer justify prescribing antibiotics when we have other treatments such as medical ozone.

Medical ozone is high reward, low risk and does not contribute to the resistance of antibiotics and avoids systemic dysbiosis. 

Medical ozone has been shown to revive wounded or crushed tissue and enhance vascularisation. 

Darkly bruised areas regain a pink healthy colour almost immediately after ozone therapy. 

Ozone owes its biocidal effectiveness to its ability to oxidize organic material in bacterial membranes, which weakens the cell wall and leads to cell rupture, causing immediate death of the bacteria cell. It also destroys viruses, yeast, bacteriophages, mycoplasmas, fungal and other infectious species.

Many disease states such as long-standing non-healing ulcers, circulatory disorders, infections, burns, and skin lesions have had beneficial healing effects after application of ozone therapy.

Furthermore, application of ozone causes oxidation, meaning inactivation of metabolic mediators of pain, hence ozone can be used as a potent analgesic. 

On topical application, ozone forms a protective layer over the wound site. This can lead to the presentation of wound contamination and also covers any exposed nerve endings, ultimately reducing pain significantly. 

In a study published in ACTA Biomedica, it was shown that:

• Ozone improved the wound healing in type 2 diabetes via down-regulation of IL-8, 10 and induction of FGFR expression.
• Additionally, the use of ozone accelerated the timing of wound granulation compared with the results of the standard treatment. 

Conclusion:

Our team at BluVida Health and Wellness is here for you!

If you are currently suffering from a foot or leg wound, diabetic ulcer, or other open wound, we understand how difficult it can be to manage the pain and stress that comes with the condition. We want to help you get back to living your best life.

At BluVida Health and Wellness, we provide professional care for your wounds, whether they are surgical or non-surgical wounds. Our goal is to provide fast relief and keep you moving in the right direction.

Our goal is to provide you with the best care possible, so that you can rest assured knowing that your wound is taken care of.

We are based in Katy, Texas, but we serve clients all over the state of Texas with our unique approach to treating diabetic ulcers and open wounds.

When it comes to wounds, there is no reason why you should have to suffer any longer than necessary. We are here for you when other clinics tell you that they cannot help.

Our team of dedicated professionals will take care of all your needs regardless of their severity so that you can focus on healing and getting back out into the world again!

At BluVida Health and Wellness, we offer patients a safe and effective way to manage their wounds. Our treatment is simple: we use high-quality products that promote healing and comfort, while providing our clients with the support they need.

Reference List:

Fitzpatrick, E., Holland, O.J. and Vanderlelie, J.J. (2018). Ozone therapy for the treatment of chronic wounds: A systematic review. International Wound Journal, 15(4), pp.633–644. doi:10.1111/iwj.12907.

‌Roth, A., Elkashif, A., Selvamani, V., Stucky, R.A., Seleem, M.N., Ziaie, B. and Rahimi, R. (2020). Wearable and Flexible Ozone Generating System for Treatment of Infected Dermal Wounds. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 8. doi:10.3389/fbioe.2020.00458.

Wen, Q., Liu, D., Wang, X., Zhang, Y., Fang, S., Qiu, X. and Chen, Q. (2021). A systematic review of ozone therapy for treating chronically refractory wounds and ulcers. International Wound Journal. doi:10.1111/iwj.13687.

Faraji, N., Goli, R., Choobianzali, B., Bahrami, S., Sadeghian, A., Sepehrnia, N. and Ghalandari, M. (2021). Ozone therapy as an alternative method for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports, 15(1). doi:10.1186/s13256-021-02829-y.

Pchepiorka, R., Moreira, M.S., Lascane, N.A. da S., Catalani, L.H., Allegrini Jr, S., de Lima, N.B. and Gonçalves, e F. (2020). Effect of ozone therapy on wound healing in the buccal mucosa of rats. Archives of Oral Biology, 119, p.104889. doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2020.104889.

Bahl, D., Samuel, S., Charyulu, R.N. and Dole, S. (2021). Use of Topical Ozone Therapy for Wound Healing after Transalveolar Extractions: A Miracle Alternative Therapy. World Journal of Dentistry, 13(1), pp.57–61. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10015-1888.