Abstract
A compact low-temperature plasma jet device was developed to use ambient air as plasma gas. The device was driven by a 2.52-kV high-voltage direct-current pulse in a burst mode, with a repetition rate of 2 kHz. The maximum plasma discharge current was 3.5 A, with an approximately 10 ns full-width half-maximum. Nitric oxide, hydroxyl radical, atomic oxygen, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide—important reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS)—were mainly produced. The amount of plasma-generated RONS can be controlled by varying the pulse-modulation factors. After optimization, the plasma plume length was approximately 5 mm and the treatment temperature was less than 40 °C. The preliminary bactericidal effects were tested on Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and their biofilms. The results showed that the plasma can effectively inactivate S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and MRSA in both time- and pulse-dependent manner. Thus, this produced plasma device proved to be an efficient tool for inactivating deteriorating bacteria. Further versatile utilization of this portable plasma generator is also promising.
Highlights
The number of patients with chronic wounds has been increasing constantly
Chronic wounds are normally defined as any acute wounds failing to heal within the expected time frame for that type of wound
The developed compact air plasma jet had pulse parameters––NP, PW, PD, and BRR––that can be modulated to control the dissipated power, plume temperature, UV concentration, and patient leakage current of the air plasma jet to be within a level suitable for medical applications
Summary
The number of patients with chronic wounds has been increasing constantly. Chronic wounds are normally defined as any acute wounds failing to heal within the expected time frame for that type of wound. Pressure or decubitus ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and nonhealing surgical-site infections are the most common cases [1, 2]. These chronic wounds are a challenge to wound care professionals because they consume a great deal of health care resources and create a significant financial burden on the global health care system [3, 4, 5]. The important factors that contribute to delayed wound healing are the high level of bacteria and formation of biofilms. Biofilms are multicellular communities of bacteria held together by their self-made extracellular matrix. Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are commonly reported to form biofilms that are resistant to patients’ immune systems and a wide range of antibiotics, such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) [1, 2, 4]
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