Effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields stimulation on ischemic skin model

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMF) in improving blood flow reduction and tissue necrosis of ischemic animal induced by skin flap. In each experiment, twenty rats (280–320 g) were randomly divided into control group (n = 10) and PEMF (n = 10) group. All of the rats were performed skin flap in back. In the PEMF group, PEMF (1 Hz, 10 mT) was performed in each experiment. In Experiment-1 (n = 20), PEMF was performed for 90 minutes. In Experiment-2 (n = 20), additionally, a blocking film was inserted, and suture was performed to induce necrosis. PEMF was performed for 30 minutes each day for 7 days. As a result of Speckle-Flow Index (SFI) analysis, in the control group, blood flow continued to decrease immediately after the procedure. In the PEMF group, blood flow was remained constant after 30 minutes and increased after 60 minutes. The blood flow in a specific region substantially increased from the initial state. As a result of skin necrosis analysis, the progression rate in the PEMF group was slower than that of the control group. The rate of necrosis in the PEMF group decreased dramatically from the 6th day, and there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups at the 7th day (p < .05). In this study, it was confirmed that PEMF (1 Hz, 10 mT) has a blood flow improvement and skin tissue necrosis alleviation in the ischemic flap animal model.

KEYWORDS:

• Ischemia skin flap
• pulsed electromagnetic fields
• blood flow
• tissue necrosis
• speckle-flow index (sfi)

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article. In addition, derived data are available from the corresponding author on request.

Ethics approval

The animal experiment research method and experimental protocol of this study were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at Yonsei University. (YWCI-201704-005-01)

Disclosure statement

Author Ja-Woo Lee declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author Jun-Young Kim declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author Na-Ra Lee declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author Yong-Heum Lee declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was not funded. This study was conducted at Yonsei University Biomedical Electro-Magnetic System Laboratory, Wonju, Republic of Korea.