Improving the results of treatment of patients with purulent diseases of fingers and hands using laser irradiation and photodynamic therapy

Despite the evolution in modern surgery and in pharmaceutical industry, purulent pathology of the hand is occupying a leading position for many years among all diseases with which patients are admitted to hospitals. Over the years, medical care for such patients has been improving. A high social and economic significance of this problem makes surgeons to continue searches of new directions not only in surgical techniques, but also in postoperative wound management to improve outcomes in patients with purulent diseases of the hand.The purpose of this work is to assess results of care of patients with purulent finger and hand diseases treated with laser light necrectomy and photodynamic therapy. A comparative analysis of wound process dynamics and treatment outcomes in 198 patients with hand purulent diseases who had been admitted to Moscow City Hospital No. 4 was made by the authors. All patients were divided into four groups depending on the curative modality. In Group 1 (n = 53), a wound was sutured after surgery, and a drainage-lavage system (DLS) was installed; in Group 2 (n = 50), a wound was not sutured because of contraindications to suturing; in Group 3 (n = 46), patients had laser necrectomy after which a wound was sutured and DLS was installed; in Group 4 (n = 49), a wound was not sutured because of contraindications like in Group 2, but it was treated with antiseptic dressings and photodynamic therapy at an early postoperative period. Various aspects of the effectiveness of laser techniques have been analyzed: dynamics of wound healing, changes in wound defect size, level of pain syndrome assessed by VAS, changes in clinical blood tests, changes in wound exudate cytological picture as well as changes in wound microflora. Acceleration of wound healing was noted in all patients who were treated with laser light what, consequently, shortened their inpatient stay. Laser light also changed cytological and microbiological patterns of wound exudate, as evidenced by the decrease of wound detritus and by the decrease of microbial content in the wound. In patients, who were treated with laser light, less pain syndrome was registered immediately after laser technique application.The obtained findings demonstrate a positive effect of laser necrectomy with DLS at wound process as well. Photodynamic therapy significantly improved results in patients with open wound management on the hand and fingers. Laser techniques have good perspectives in purulent surgery of the hand.