Abstract
The use of laser therapy known in general as photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has been incorporated in many wound healing scenarios. Superficial soft tissue healing, pain management and bone healing are some of the applications that it has been implemented in. It has also been successfully applied to many different species. This presentation shares how low level laser therapy (LLLT) was incorporated into the management of severe manatee boat strike cases. The instrument, the 2400VS Laser Therapy System, with the Super-Pulsed (SP) probe with a potential five inch penetration was used for deep tissue treatments to target deep bone and soft tissue trauma. Boat impact trauma can fracture ribs and vertebrae, fracture kidneys, rupture lungs, create both pneumothoraxes and pyothoraxes. The manatee's amazing healing ability allows for survival but can also create areas where a "walling-off" effect might prevent proper healing in long-term scenarios. A group of four manatees that had fractured ribs and other complications from severe boat strikes had laser therapy incorporated into their overall medical management. Unlike the more superficial LLLT therapies reported, the goal was to see if the deeper penetration allowed for improved healing of major deep wounds. Normally protocols are being established to provide a goal for induction, transition and maintenance phases. Since there is no reported protocol for using laser therapy in manatee profound wounds, a general protocol taken from written sources was used as a template.1 While the energy at 8–10 J/cm2 was targeted, the more difficult parameter to achieve was the frequency applied. Rehab manatees need to be stranded to apply laser therapy and frequency of such procedures may be less than for smaller species. While specific data and parameters are limited, all four manatees have since been released with full function and normal blood values. In 2016 boat strike mortality for manatees in America was the highest recorded in the thirty years of recorded manatee mortality numbers. Having medical options to assist in the treatment of these severe cases is crucial. Human population numbers continue to grow in manatee habitat areas, thus boat strike cases will always be a part of manatee medicine. It is still being utilized and data collected to assist in forming treatment scenarios and dosing regimens for future cases.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists, and Miami Seaquarium staff for being part of the manatee rescue, rehabilitation and release recovery program.
Literature Cited
1. Miller LA. 2016. Delayed union femur fracture treated with laser therapy to stimulate bone healing. TVP9/10:4–5.