CHRONIC WOUNDS are often a problem for both the elderly as well as bedridden patients or people confined to a wheelchair. Thypically chronic wounds include a loss of skin or underlying tissue with a failure to heal from conventional types of treatment.

Chronic wounds are often difficult to heal requiring a long period of time for complete closure. The relative resistance of chronic wounds to a wide range of therapeutic approaches and the absence of a standard single therapy for the treatment of chronic wounds shifted the attention of many researchers towards the investigation of other therapies. The use of different sources of light in wound healing therapy has gained particular attention in the last few decades and many clinical studies have evaluated the role of light therapy in the management of chronic wounds.

BIOPTRON Light Therapy can both promote and speed up wound healing through the stiumation of reparatative and regenerative processes and anti-inflammatory effects. This type of treatment can be considered a valuable therapy for the treatment of various wounds and wound healing disorders. 8

Leg Ulcers (Ulcus Cruris) A leg ulcer is defined as wound on the leg below the knee that fails to heal within 6 weeks. Venou leg ulcers constitute the majority of all leg ulcers and are responsible for up to 80% of loweer extremity ulcerations. An overall prevalence of venous leg ulcers ranges from 0.06% to 2.2% with a tendency to increase asthe population ages. The prevalence of venous leg ulcers in patients aged 70 years is estimated to be 1% to 4%.

What is the cause? Various leg ulcer refers to a failure of the venous system to return blood to the heart. This is usually caused by incompotent values int he deep veins, the long saphenous vein, the short saphenous vein or the perforator veins of the calf. These veins are siutated in the legs.

Due to weak venous valves, blood from the deep veins in the lefs flows back into the nimor veins, (called the superficial veins), whereas the traffic should only be on-way. This leads to a build-up of blood in the superficial veins, which will slow down and may eventually stop. That can cause a metabloic breakdown, particularyl in the surrounding skin area. As a result, the skkin might start to degenerate, giving rise to inflammation and, ultimately, the developemtn of the ulcer.

Venous leg ulcers are difficult to heal and their complete healing can take years, with rcurrence being a major problem. Many patients with leg ulcers suffer from pain and sone also have problems with sleep and mobility. the considerable morbidity of venous ulcers seriously impairs the quality of life in the majority of patients.

The postive effect of BIOPTRON Light Therapy on cells and the tissue can enhance the healing process n patients with venous leg ulcers. BIOPTRON Light applied as a stand-alone therapy was instrumental for complete wound healing in patients with venous leg ulcers. BIOPTRON Light therapy can also be considered effective int he treatment of venous leg ulcers when it is used as a component of a total wound care management programme. 9 PICS OF TREATMENT REPLACE THIS ONE

Decubitus (pressure sores) A bedsore is a pressure ulcer, caused by prolonged pressure in patients confided to a bed or wheelchair for an extended period of time. These forms of ulcers tend to develop on areas of the body where bony prominence is not protected by muscle tissue, such as the scarum (tailbone), beels, elbows and shoulder blades. When pressure cuts off the blood supply, cells and tissues of the skin and underlying structures are damaged and ulcers begin to form.

One in ten hospital patients and one in eight home care patients and one in four nursing home patients suffer from bedsores. This problem is increasing partly because of the ageing population. In hospitals and nursing homes the numbers of patients requiring treatment for bedsores is increasing causing a massive strain on funding and nursing resources.

Treatment generally involves taking pressure off the area by nurses or healthcare staff regularly turning and moving patients. The ulcerated area is cleaned although ocassionally the patient requires surgical intevention. As light therapy is used as part of the management of atients with bedsores BIOPTRON Light THerapy has been shown to be an effective threapy to enhance rapid healing. Light therapy also plays a reole in the prevention of bedsores thereby reducing the burden on patient and staff who are risk of developing a pressure ulcer. 10

Severe Second Degree Burns

BIOPTRON Light Therapy Systesm support microcirculation and has clinically proven effectives in ehancing the various phases of wound healing. Decreasing inflammation, reducing pain, activiating the inmune system, optimising perfusion and the development of blood vests. BIOPTRON Light Therapy can be combined with all wound care programmes.Significant, positve effects in of BIOPTRON Light Therapy results in a 45% enhanced microcirculation and tissue with clear improved perfusion in blood cappillaries, a higher concentration of growth factors for cell renewal, increased deformability of red blood cells and optimissed oxygen transport fucntion of all circulating blood leads to either an enhancement of reactiviation of the natural would healing processes. It is well established in the research literature how lgith therapy is effective in all areas of wound healing, arreting inflamation, alleviating pain, acitivating the immue response, improving perfusion and revascularisation, increasing lymphastic drainage and generally inrpoving metabolic processes. Light Therapy supporst the body's natural healing response, particularly in the case of chronic wound healing. BIOPTRON Light Therapy Systems act by enabling newly formed cappilaries to increase the blood supply to the wound site, increase lymphatic drainage to aid in the dissapation of edema and improve the immune system response to fight infection and reactivate key metaoblic processes.

To support doctors and nursing staff individual treatment sessions are very short and can easily be integrated into standard wound care procedures. BIOPTRON Light Therapy is applied for a few minutes before the next stage of wound management procedures are carried out. The average dose is 12 j/cm2 with the light beam directed at a right angle some 10 cm (4 inches) from the area to be treated. Wound healing then takes place according to three interlinking phases of 1) endogenous purification, 2) granulation and finally, 3) Epithilisation.

In burn treatment if BIOPTRON Light Therapy is immediately applied on admission to the hospital it has been shown to reduce the need for surgery in the treatment of deep dermal burns. With acceleration of the wound healing process the early applkication of pressure therays result in the reduction of hypertrophic scarring and contractures. As this this treatment can easily be applied on an outpatient basis no costly hospitlization is require. Better fucntional and aesthetic results are achieved so BIOPTRON Light Therapy has increasingly become the choice for many hospitals and burn centers.

Systemic mechanisms of anti-inflammatory, immunomodulating and wound healing effects of visible and near infrared light therapy. Research on wound healing with visible light demonstrates increased blood flow through its action on superficial skin micro-vessels.