Eradication of Wound Biofilms by Electrical Stimulation - Antibiofilm Agents: From Diagnosis to Treatment and Prevention - page 417

Fig. 1 Types of electrical stimulation used to treat wound infections. (A) Constant LIDC has a
monophasic waveform and is applied at low intensities ranging from 20 A to 32 mA. (B) HVPC

has a twin-spike monophasic waveform and is thus a form of DC. HVPC devices deliver electrical
stimulation at intensities from 0 to 250 V. (C) AC refers to the continuous application of biphasic
waves. In this chapter, we focus on radio frequency alternating current, given at kHz-MHz
frequencies and low intensities

μ

2 Current of Injury

Measurable electrical currents that direct wound healing are found in intact and
damaged skin of amphibians, mammals, and humans (Borgens et al. 1977 ;
Illingsworth and Barker 1980 ; Barker et al. 1982 ; Foulds and Barker 1983 ; Vanable
1989 ; Cunliffe-Barnes 1945 ). Many investigators have measured electronegative
voltages from the surface of intact skin and electropositive voltages from the
dermal tissue of wounds (Illingsworth and Barker 1980 ; Barker et al. 1982 ;
Cunliffe-Barnes 1945 ). These measurable trans-epithelial potentials (TEPs) occur
as a result of Na + channels in the apical membrane of the skin's mucosal surface
that allow extracellular Na + to diffuse between epidermal cells (Vanable 1989 ).
Foulds and Barker demonstrated the presence of a “skin battery,” with TEPs
ranging from 10 mV to almost 60 mV, and an average negative potential of
23.4 mV (Barker et al. 1982 ). This skin battery voltage effect was discovered to
be produced by charged activity in exocrine sweat glands (Wolcott et al. 1969 ) and