Iontophoresis Flashcards
Is iontophoresis direct or alternating current?
direct
what is iontophoresis?
meds have a charge and ionto drives ions through the skin with electricity
What is the depth the medication can penetrate to?
up to 4mm
T or F? once the meds diffuse through the skin it will spread through the rest of the body
false, the medication is thought to stay local
what is lidocaine for?
pain
is lidocain positive or negative? which electrode do you use?
positive
anode
what is acetate for?
calcium deposits
is acetate positive or negative? which electrode do you use?
negative
cathode
what is dexamethasone-phosphate for?
msk inflammatory conditions
is dexa-p positive or negative? which electrode do you use?
negative
cathode
True or F? skinfold thickness impacts medication absorption
false
does medication always penetrate the skin?
no
if ionto is for superficial areas only and not all are absorbers, then what are some implications for treatment?
- not a first line treatment*
- superficial tendons only
what is the skin to tendon depth of these tendons?
common extensor
achilles
patellar tendon
1.2mm*
1.6mm
3.1mm
What is the best and worst case with achilles tendon application?
best - superficial areas only
worst - apply to non-absorber
T or F? improvement is correlated with how much medication is absorbed
false! studies rarely measure absorption*
40mA is the dose of med. how long will treatment take if patient can only tolerate 1mA a minute? 2mA a min?
40 mins
20 mins
what are some ionto contraindications
- same for estim
- impaired skin sensation
- allergy to med or adhesives
- sensitive to DC
- recent scarring
- cuts, bruises, or broken skin
- metal in or around treatment area
ionto complications
- burns
- prolonged erythema
- burning sensation
- tingling
what are some factors contributing to burns?
- setting intensity too high
- prolonged treatment times
- using wrong polarity
- electrode issues: too dry, small, close together
where is medication applied via ionto the most effective?
superficial tendons
in studies that show an effect with treatment, what are some issues with them?
- small sample size
- rare with true control group
- NO MEASURE OF MED DELIVERED*
- small effect size
- don’t compare to standard of care treatments
