February 11, 2008 - Arobella Medical LLC today launched the Qoustic Wound Therapy System, which advances the use of low-frequency cavitational ultrasound for wound care, an alternative to painful sharps debridement and other surgical modalities.
The Qoustic Wound Therapy System assists healing by gently removing dead or diseased tissue cells and bacteria, leaving healthy and prehealing granulation tissue intact, the company said. It is also useful in preparing the wound bed for other therapies, such as grafts and flaps.
Low-frequency ultrasound debridement is emerging as a preferred method of care for many types of wounds, including pressure ulcers, diabetic ulcers, infected wounds, burns and other chronic wounds. Up to 7 million people each year in the U.S. require treatment for chronic wounds resulting from ulcers, sores, burns, fistulas and other conditions. A significant number of the people with chronic wounds have diabetes, and rapid growth of the diabetic population is increasing the need for advanced wound care.
The Qoustic Wound Therapy System removes harmful bacteria and biofilm and improves wound bed circulation. The system's unique, dome-shaped Qoustic Qurette vibrates at 35 kHz, converting electrical energy to ultrasound waves and focusing them intensively on the wound. Sterile saline solution transfers the ultrasonic energy to the wound, where tiny vibrating gas bubbles and cellular-level fluid movement separate dead and harmful cells from healthy tissue. As a result, dead cells are fragmented and destroyed, thus aiding in their easy removal with the edge of the Qoustic Qurette.
The system is portable and can be used in many healthcare settings - including the bedside - by certified wound care specialists, including physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical therapists and podiatrists. The company says the system reduces splash and aerosolization. It can reduce wound care costs in several ways with fast setup, no required disposables, short procedure times, effective procedures that reduce debridement frequency, efficient use of saline and fast cleanup, the company said.
The system has FDA 510(k) clearance and uses established reimbursement codes for selective and non-selective surgical debridement and active wound care management.
“Of the ultrasonic wound care devices on the market, I am most impressed by the Qoustic Wound Therapy System, particularly its ease of use and controlled debridement of wounds,” said Dr. Jeffrey A. Niezgoda, M.D., medical director of Hyperbaric and Wound Care Associates in Milwaukee. “The system allows me to remove diseased tissue while protecting healthy tissue.”
When electrical energy is converted to mechanical motion, sound pressure waves are created. These ultrasound waves can have thermal and/or physical effects in tissue. Low-frequency ultrasound has been shown to have cellular-level physical effects, known as cavitation and microstreaming, that can promote healing. Cavitation is the formation and oscillation of microscopic bubbles, which expand and collapse as they resonate with the ultrasound frequency. Acoustic microstreaming is the physical force of sound pressure waves that can displace small molecules and move fluids along and/or through cell membranes. Together, these effects alter cellular activity and protein synthesis, both of which are critical in repairing tissue damage. The company says scientific studies have demonstrated that ultrasound debridement is a convenient and effective wound care technique.
For more information: www.arobella.com