Use of Non-Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Discharge for Coagulation and Sterilization of Surface Wounds

Summary form only given. Atmospheric pressure plasma discharges have recently gained interest of the medical community. Such systems have been used for sterilization of surfaces, for biochemical surface functionalization, and for many other applications. Specifically, thermal plasma discharges are applied in the field of tissue sterilization and blood coagulation as a faster alternative to normal biochemical coagulation. However, the use of thermal plasma is limited for two reasons: (a) the extremely high temperatures (2000 K up to 10000 K) cause severe tissue damage and (b) the necessity of general anesthesia makes it inconvenient for wide-spread patient use, apart from the hospital setting. Our research team has developed a novel method using non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma (DBD plasma) to coagulate blood and sterilize tissues without causing thermal damage. This treatment would be safe to patients because no exposed electrodes are involved and high frequency current (about 10 KHz) is kept below milli-ampere. Our experiments have shown that such plasma treatment hastens blood coagulation and causes simultaneous wound sterilization. We suppose that these processes are stimulated by a large concentration of chemically active species in plasma that are ions, radicals (O, OH, N) and electronically-excited atoms and molecules. This novel plasma technology can find many applications in the medical field. Within the hospital setting, this technology may prove useful in the operating room for patients suffering from bleeding not amenable to other methods of coagulation (hemophilia cases, for example). Because of simultaneous sterilization, this device could also help prevent intra-operative infections. Sterilization effects of non-thermal plasma are well-known and were confirmed, for example, in our previous studies. We have determined relative time and power for blood coagulation by plasma without tissue damage as confirmed by gross and microscopic exami- ation, and tissue cultures