HMN 2025: How Light-based therapy improves the treatment of sepsis

Sepsis remains one of the leading causes of mortality in hospitalized patients worldwide, and innovative therapeutic strategies are urgently needed.

A group of Brazilian researchers has developed and tested a vascular photobiomodulation protocol (iLIB technique) specifically tailored for patients with sepsis, guided by existing evidence in literature.

The study, led by Adriano Correia de Sousa and Ana Laura Martins de Andrade, is titled, “A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial of Vascular Photobiomodulation in Hospitalized Patients with Sepsis.” The paper is published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.

This randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluated the effects of vascular photobiomodulation (660 nm red laser applied to the radial artery) in 30 hospitalized patients with sepsis. The treatment group showed significant improvements in key clinical and metabolic biomarkers from the third day of therapy, suggesting that this technique may represent a promising adjunctive approach for managing sepsis.

“This work is important because it is among the first randomized controlled trials to evaluate a broad range of clinical and laboratory biomarkers in this population,” the authors said. “By demonstrating significant improvements in key parameters such as white blood cells, lactate, and renal function markers, our findings provide mechanistic insights and clinical evidence that support vascular photobiomodulation as a promising adjunct therapy for critically ill patients with sepsis.”

Provided by
American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc.

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