8.  How are lasers used in the treatment of pressure sores?

Answer:
There is one study in the literature (and only one) on the use of the carbon dioxide laser beam in the surgery of pressure sores. (International Surgery 73(1):54-6, Jan-Mar 1988).

In this study, the authors report the use of CO2 laser in the treatment of 139 spinal cord injury patients. Without getting into any hard data, the authors report that laser is a valuable technique in that it accomplishes hemostasis and wound sterility, while also effectively debriding.  Given the subjectiveness of the report and the fact that the technique hasn’t caught on despite this publication in 1988 and the abundance of pressure sores out there, it’s probably wisest to take this report with a grain of salt, at least until more objective data is collected.
 

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