Low-power laser and healing of burns: a preliminary assay.

A randomized preliminary study of 20 female Fischer rats was conducted to assess the effect of laser on healing in burns. Clinical use for this purpose seemed to be widely accepted and implemented, despite the few substantiating research reports. Two burns were inflicted on each animal; one was treated, and the other was left untreated. Two groups of 10 animals each were randomly organized. In group 1, the experimental burn was treated with a helium-neon laser; in group 2, with a gallium- arsenide laser. In neither group could any major stimulating effect be demonstrated on the basis of observation and a size index. The low statistically significant smaller size index in group 1 on day 20, in comparison with the controls, is intriguing but is of no relevance in view of the complete healing process. The practical feasibility and the weak differential power arouse doubts about the effectiveness of laser for this matter.