Electrolyzed Water Used for Heart Surgery Infections in Case Report
Successful Treatment of Mediastinitis after Cardiovascular Surgery Using Electrolyzed Strong Acid Aqueous Solution
Research hubs: Cardiovascular System
- Evidence type
- Case report or series · Human study
- Authors
- Hideaki Hayashi, Keiji Kumon, Naoki Yahagi, Masaki Haruna, Yasuhiko Watanabe, Junki Matsui, Reiji Hattori
- Journal
- Artificial Organs
- Year
- 1997
- PMID
- 9012905
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 4
- Delivery
- Saline (Electrolysis)
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 19 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
A special acidic water solution was used successfully and safely to treat chest infections after heart surgery, without the side effects seen with a commonly used iodine solution.
Key Finding
All 4 patients treated with electrolyzed strong acid aqueous solution for post-surgical chest infections showed satisfactory tissue healing with no reported adverse effects.
Summary
This study describes using electrolyzed strong acid aqueous solution (ESAAS)—a liquid created by passing electricity through salt water—to rinse out infected surgical wounds in the chest after heart surgery in 4 patients (2 children and 2 adults). The researchers found that ESAAS worked well to treat the infection and promoted healthy tissue growth without causing harm, unlike the povidone-iodine solution traditionally used for this purpose.
Practical Takeaway
This is a case report of only 4 patients with a serious surgical complication, not a study of hydrogen water for general health. While the results are promising for this specific medical use, much larger controlled studies would be needed before drawing conclusions about safety or effectiveness. This research does not apply to consumer hydrogen water products.
Abstract (excerpt)
Dilute povidone-iodine solution has been widely used as an irrigant for the treatment of mediastinitis. However, its use is not without adverse effects and often cause? poor growth of pinulation tissues. To avoid the problems seen with the use of povidone-iodine solution, we applied electrolyzed…