SynthesisInternational wound journal2026
Effects of Near Infrared Light on Surgical Wound Healing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in International wound journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of Near Infrared Light on Surgical Wound Healing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International wound journal · 2026Pooled it
- Smart Polymeric Wound Dressings for Wound Treatment: Contributions and Applications.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Near infrared (NIR) therapy is increasingly used to enhance postoperative wound healing, yet clinical trial results remain inconsistent. To evaluate the effectiveness of NIR therapy on postoperative wound healing and identify treatment parameters associated with optimal outcomes: This systematic review and meta-analysis registered at PROSPERO (CRD420251163415) assessed evidence on comparing NIR therapy (630-1100 nm) with standard care or placebo on healing of surgical-induced wounds. A multilevel random-effects meta-analysis of standardised mean differences (SMDs) was conducted. Moderator analyses examined the wavelength, fluence, session number, application technique and anatomical site. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane RoB 2.0 and certainty of evidence was rated with GRADE. Fifty-six trials (N = 4920) were included for systematic review and 35 trials contributed 69 outcomes to meta-analysis. NIR significantly improved wound healing (0.78, [0.46-1.09], p < 0.01) and reduced postoperative pain (0.71, [0.24-1.17], p < 0.01), but heterogeneity was high and effects varied across studies. Optimal outcomes were associated with short NIR wavelengths (700-850 nm), 4-10 sessions and non-contact application. Effects on swelling, scarring and inflammatory markers were inconsistent. Overall, certainty of evidence was very low. This first systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that NIR therapy demonstrates promise for enhancing postoperative healing and reducing pain, though effects vary by protocols.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.