Editor’s note: “MIST Therapy® System: Thoughts on Therapy” is brought to you by an educational grant from Celleration®, Inc. The opinions and statements herein are specific to the author and not necessarily those of Celleration, Inc., ECPN, or HMP Communications, LLC.

Case Series #3

       We have used the MIST Therapy^® System (Celleration, Inc.) as an adjunctive treatment for nonhealing wounds in Methodist Hospital’s wound clinic for more than 3 years. The MIST Therapy System is a noncontact, low-frequency ultrasound device that has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to promote the healing of wounds. It cleanses, debrides, and stimulates the cells of wound healing by delivering therapeutic ultrasound waves via a sterile saline mist. The device does not contact the wound; therefore, MIST Therapy is pain-free.
       This is a retrospective review of 6 consenting outpatients with recalcitrant wounds to demonstrate the clinical efficacy of the MIST Therapy System in wounds of various etiologies. The following parameters were used to determine the clinical effectiveness: reductions in wound area and volume; amount of drainage; signs and symptoms of infection; subjective wound-related pain (using a visual analog scale, rated 0-10, where “0” is no pain and “10” is extreme pain); and changes in wound bed composition (eg, percentage of granulation tissue, slough, and eschar). Patients were treated until their wounds closed.

       Editor's note: Click here to download a PDF of the full article, including the clinical results and photographs of the six inpatients.

Conclusion

       In this retrospective case series study, patients with serious comorbidities and recalcitrant wounds of various etiologies healed faster with MIST Therapy than would be anticipated with other wound treatments based on our clinical experience. In all 6 cases, MIST Therapy rapidly reduced wound size, drainage, clinical signs of infection, and wound-related pain. It also stimulated granulation and reepithelialization across wound beds, which led to wound closure for all patients.
       We began using the MIST Therapy System during our clinic’s participation in a randomized, double-blind clinical trial on diabetic foot ulcers.¹ During the trial, we were impressed by its results and ease of use. Three years later, the MIST Therapy System is widely used in our clinic as an adjunctive modality to standard of care treatments. We now have 2 MIST Therapy System units to help us keep up with the demand for treatment.
       Our clinic prefers MIST Therapy over many other modalities for several reasons. First, MIST Therapy is easier to use than other physical agents and modalities used in our clinic. It is even preferred to MHz ultrasound, which requires hydrogel or film dressing before treatment. Because MIST Therapy is a noncontact treatment, it is less time-consuming than other physical agents and modalities. Finally, MIST Therapy has the unique benefit of stimulating the cells responsible for wound healing.
       In economic terms, we have found MIST Therapy to be similar in cost to the kits for pulsatile lavage with suction and less costly than NPWT for both the rental of the unit and the dressing and canister kits, based on the frequency and duration of MIST Therapy and other treatment modalities. MIST Therapy may also be an affordable advanced therapy for some patients (eg, those with pressure ulcers who might benefit from biologics but do not have the appropriate diagnosis and ICD-9 code for reimbursement).
       All told, the benefits of MIST Therapy increased our patients’ wound and functional outcomes while creating a powerful and effective use of our time in the clinic.