Blue Light Photobiomodulation as treatment for peristomal skin disorders: case series

From Firenze University Press Journal: Infermieristica Journal

Stefano Gasperini, Medical Advisor

Mario Antonini, USL 11 Ospedale San Giuseppe Empoli

Keeping the peristomal skin intact proves to be a challenge for stoma patients and the health care teams that work with them. Peristomal skin complications are shown to affect 36.3% to 73.4% of patients. They are o$en particularly di%cult to treat with topical therapies since the topical medications available are cream-based or ointment type formulations that don’t allow for perfect adhesion of the pouching system to the abdomen’s skin. In this study a preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness of Blue Light Photobiomodulation in the treatment of peristomal skin disorders was performed.

Peristomal skin disorders are common postoperative complications in people who undergo surgical procedures resulting in enterostomal formation. They usually occur within the first two weeks of the creation of the stoma but they can also present as late complications, months or even years a$er the initial surgery.

Complications range from mild irritation to full thickness ulcerations and the international literature refers to an incidence ranging from 36.3% to 73.4% for such alterations. Peristomal skin alterations represent a signi!cant problem both for stoma patients’ quality of life and for the health care system, as peristomal skin lesions are the main reason for which stoma patients visit outpatient clinics, and, in severe cases of peristomal skin complications, costs for a patient with a stoma increases from two to five times. The therapeutic approach ranges from using different pouching systems, to topical, systemic medications and surgery, and should be chosen according to the underlying cause of the complication.

According to international literature, 77% of diagnosed skin disorders are related to contact with stoma effluent. To avoid this, it is essential that the osto my ag remain attached to the patients’ abdomen. One of the main limitations in the treatment of peristomal skin alterations is the lack of appropriate topical therapies since the topical medications available are cream-based or ointment type formulations that don’t allow for perfect adhesion of the pouching system to the abdomen’s skin. Photobiomodulation has been shown to promote several therapeutic effects, including the mitigation of pain and inflammation, immunomodulation and promotion of tissue regeneration and healing. For this reason, we have decided to apply PBM with Blue Light as new, non-invasive, contactless therapy on patients under treatment for peristomal skin complications at San Giuseppe Hospital, Empoli, Italy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/if-2070

Read Full Text: https://riviste.fupress.net/index.php/if/article/view/2070