Looking at the star-studded sky we see – plasma! As a fact, more than 99 % of our visible universe is in the plasma state.

Plasma is the name of a special excited state of a gas, which is also called the fourth aggregate state next to solid, liquid and gaseous, and should not be confused with the liquid, cell-free blood component.

The input of energy transforms solid matter first into a liquid, then into a gas and further energy transfer induces plasma.

During this process, the mobility of the atoms and molecules forming the substance is increased until they reach free mobility in the gaseous state.

If additional energy in the form of heat or strong electric fields is applied to a gas, the particles reach partial or full ionisation, i.e. the extraction of electrons from the atoms or molecules of the gas. The resulting particles are freely moving electrons and ionised atoms. This makes plasma an electrically conductive medium.

The composition and properties of a plasma depend on three essential factors:

• the type and composition of the gas or gas mixture used
• the energy used for the generation of the plasma
• the pressure conditions

The gas used in the Plasma Jet kINPen^® VET is the noble gas argon. To generate the cold plasma, energy is applied to the argon gas as it is conducted past the high frequency electrode inside the plasma jet.

This ignites an effective cold plasma cocktail that exits the head of the plasmajet as an effluent with a temperature of < 40° Celsius, permitting an accurate application to the wound.

Each plasma exhibits unique properties, functioning as an electroconductive medium, which can be harnessed for various therapeutic applications in veterinary medicine.

Effects of cold plasma

Cold plasma is primarily composed of charged and excited particles, along with various reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS). These components exhibit strong antimicrobial properties while also promoting biological processes that aid in wound healing.

The effective physical components

• Reactive species
• Free radicals (generation of ions, electrons)
• Electromagnetic fields
• Low UV radiation
• Visible light
• Thermal radiation

The biological effect

Not all plasma is the same: the quality of Plasma depends significantly on the carrier gas (e.g. air, argon, helium) and the method of plasma generation (e.g. high frequency, microwaves, direct current). This means that study results only apply to the respective device and cannot be transferred to others.

With over 300 studies, the devices in the kINPen® family are the most comprehensively investigated. Their efficacy and safety have therefore been impressively proven.