Application and Evaluation of Plasma Generated by Asymmetric Surface Discharge on the Ceramic Surface to Hemostatic Equipment

The use of plasma-based processes has been growing in the manufacturing and processing materials through advances in discharge technology. We sought to investigate whether plasma generation units of an asymmetric surface dielectric barrier discharge (AS-GDBD) could be used as hemostatic devices based on our previous research into using medical device for hemostasis that employs a glow dielectric barrier discharge. AS-GDBD acts as a plasma source that plays an essential performance in ozonizers or air purifiers. Developing a device as a prototype for clinical use could generate visible ionized gas emitted from the ionized gas accesory, also called “plasma flare,” exceeding 5 mm in length via AS-GDBD on a ceramic surface. A series of in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that plasma flare by AS-DBD effectively promoted aggregation of albumin and clot forming and achieved hemostasis in live mice. Because of the shock resistance of the discharge units with ceramic materials, we consider the hemostatic equipment more durable than the other low-energy ionized gas hemostatic equipment. Additionally, the ceramic device has the competitive advantage of mass-production manufacturing. Therefore, the hemostatic devices market will widely accept the production of plasma medical equipment using AS-DBD.