TACKLING THE BURDEN OF CHRONIC WOUNDS

Rising numbers of painful, hard-to-heal wounds has been described as a ‘hidden health crisis’ which costs the NHS more than £5bn annually.

Electrical stimulation is one of the most evidence-based technologies in wound management and is proven to be effective in accelerating healing in multiple wound types and reducing wound pain. It is safe to use and has minimal side effects.

However, until now, it has not been available in a format that can be easily used in everyday clinical practice.

ACCEL-HEAL MAKES THIS POSSIBLE

Accel-Heal works by applying two electrode pads to skin near the wound which are connected to the Accel-Heal device. With the simple push of a button, the device delivers a pre-set, automated programme of subsensory electrical pulses to the wound to stimulate the normal healing process.

Pain is relieved in as little as a few days, sometimes within a few hours, which improves patient tolerance with gold standard practices, such as compression therapy, to continue healing.

PATIENTS WHO ARE SUITABLE FOR ACCEL-HEAL

• Patients with a hard-to-heal wound that is not progressing to healing
• Patients who are experiencing reduced mobility caused by their pain
• Patients whose wound pain causes them to be intolerant to treatment

HOW ACCEL-HEAL WORKS

Every cell in the human body is finely tuned to tiny electrical stimuli – the cells in the wound bed are no exception. Electrical stimulation devices like Accel-Heal stimulate wound bed cells into ‘healing’ behaviours, kick-starting wound-healing processes like granulation tissue formation and epithelial cell migration.

Electrical stimulation also influences inflammation. It is thought that the effect on inflammation is linked to the pain relief that is experienced in some patients within hours of applying Accel-Heal.

As therapy progresses, the pain relief afforded by Accel-Heal can lead to behaviour changes in the patient. A less painful wound can lead to an increased compliance to other aspects of their wound treatment, and can allow patients to resume their daily activities.

The cumulative effect of improved compliance to treatment and an improvement in the cell ‘healing’ behaviours lead to positive clinical outcomes, including improved rates of healing and quality of life.