Comparison of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy v/s Conventional Dressings in the Management of Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcers in a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India

Introduction Foot Ulcers in patients with diabetes are complex and treatment is often difficult. At the moment negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is widely used for the treatment of several types of wounds. Nevertheless, the clinical evidence to support the application of this dressing in Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcers is scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of NPWT compared with standard wound dressing to treat chronic diabetic foot ulcers. Patients and method Prospective time bound comparative study. Diabetic patients aged 18 years or older with a foot ulcer were assigned to treatment with NPWT (Study group) or standard wound dressing (Control group). Primary efficacy end point was time in reaching complete ulcer closure. A size of sample of 15 patients per group was used. NPWT was prepared with a polyurethane foam dressing, a Silicone catheter, a transparent adhesive drape and continuous negative pressure of 125 mm Hg. The wound was treated for cycles of 5 days and evaluated at every dressing change. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used. Results There were 30 patients, with a mean age of 54.4 years (73.3 % men), 15 in each group. The average time to complete ulcer closure was lower in Study group (41.2 [8.5] days vs 58.9 [14.5] days), a statistically significant difference (P=.003). Conclusion NPWT reduces the time to complete ulcer healing of diabetic foot by 30 %, compared with conventional wound dressing.