DOI
https://doi.org/10.18849/ve.v5i1.270Abstract
PICO question
In dogs with a surgical or open wound does low level laser therapy increase the speed of wound contracture and reduce the healing time?
Clinical bottom line
Category of research question
Treatment
The number and type of study designs reviewed
Five papers were critically reviewed. Four were randomised controlled trials and one was a case report
Strength of evidence
Moderate
Outcomes reported
Three out of the five studies currently available assessing low level laser therapy to improve wound healing, suggest that low level laser therapy has no beneficial effect on the healing of open or incisional wounds. Of the papers that used statistical analysis, no statistical significance was found in wound surface area over time or tissue histological findings between wounds treated with laser therapy and those who were not. Two papers identified did find decreased wound healing times however the strength of evidence is far poorer for both, with only subjective assessment of the wound in the controlled trial and the other being a case report without control
Conclusion
Currently there is no strong evidence that low level laser therapy increases the speed of wound contracture and reduced healing time. More studies are recommended to provide stronger evidence towards the use of low level laser therapy in wound healing, preferably with a larger population of dogs and with laser settings which are consistent with previous studies for comparison
How to apply this evidence in practice
The application of evidence into practice should take into account multiple factors, not limited to: individual clinical expertise, patient’s circumstances and owners’ values, country, location or clinic where you work, the individual case in front of you, the availability of therapies and resources.
Knowledge Summaries are a resource to help reinforce or inform decision making. They do not override the responsibility or judgement of the practitioner to do what is best for the animal in their care.
References
de Braekt, M. M. H. I., van Alphen, F. A. M., Kuijpers-Jagtman, A. M. & Maltha, J. C. 1991. Effect of low level laser therapy on wound healing after palatal surgery in Beagle dogs. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 11: 5, 462–470. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lsm.1900110512
Gammel, J. E., Biskup, J. J., Drum, M. G., Newkirk, K. & Lux, C. N. 2018. Effects of low-level laser therapy on the healing of surgically closed incisions and surgically created open wounds in dogs. Veterinary Surgery, 47: 4, 499–506. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.12795
Kurach, L. M., Stanley, B. J., Gazzola, K. M., Fritz, M. C., Steficek, B. A., Hauptman, J. G. & Seymour, K. J. 2015. The Effect of Low-Level Laser Therapy on the Healing of Open Wounds in Dogs. Veterinary Surgery, 44: 8, 988–996. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.12407
Lucroy, M. D., Edwards, B. F. & Madewell, B. R. 1999. Low-Intensity Laser Light-Induced Closure of a Chronic Wound in a Dog. Veterinary Surgery, 28: 4, 292–295. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1053/jvet.1999.0292
Wardlaw, J. L., Gazzola, K. M., Wagoner, A., Brinkman, E., Burt, J., Butler, R., Gunter, J. M. & Senter, L. H. 2019. Laser Therapy for Incision Healing in 9 Dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00349
License
Veterinary Evidence uses the Creative Commons copyright Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. That means users are free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially - with the appropriate citation.
