Mist Therapy
Sonya Clark, a certified wound, ostomy, continence nurse, offers this service at the HCMC Center for Wound Care, where referred patients can be seen in her consultation room or be treated in a private treatment environment.
MIST Therapy is an innovative, non contact approach to wound healing. The system creates low-frequency ultrasound waves that produce and propel a gentle mist of sterile saline into the wound bed. The saline mist improves the transfer of ultrasound from the device without contact or pain to the patient. Unlike most wound therapies that are limited to the surface, the gentle sound waves of MIST Therapy stimulate the cells within and below the wound bed to accelerate the normal healing process.
“MIST therapy is a low contact, low frequency ultrasound treatment which helps reduce bacteria and accelerates the healing process,” said Clark. “This treatment is an advanced modality in the treatment of diabetic, venous, arterial, and surgical wounds.”
When the gentle sound waves of the ultrasound are pushed against the tissue, it helps to remove the barriers that prevent healing. This process helps reduce bacteria, inflammation and MMP 9, all while disrupting biofilm. MIST Therapy also helps stimulate the damaged cells, which promotes healing thru increased blood flow, increased angiogenesis and increased collagen deposition.
A critical benefit of MIST Therapy when treating non-healing wounds is its ability to reduce the amount of bacteria within and below the wound bed. Bacterial cells are more rigid and susceptible to micromechanical stress. When treated with MIST Therapy, many bacterial membranes will fracture and the cell will die. MIST Therapy has been shown to reduce a wide range of bacteria, including MRSA, VRE and pseudomonas.
MIST Thearpy was developed by Celleration, Inc., a privately held medical device company, founded in 1999 to develop and commercialize its therapeutic ultrasound platform. Shortly after receiving clearance from the FDA in 2005, the company introduced the MIST Therapy System to the US market and has since built an impressive body of clinical evidence demonstrating significant clinical and economic benefits in hundreds of facilities across the United States. Currently, over 65,000 patients have been treated with 800 systems installations.
To read more about Mist Therapy, click here to read about Expedited Wound Healing or to read about Treatment of Recalcitrant Diabetic Foot Ulcers with Mist Therapy.