Results of a trial in wound healing in people with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) using daily electrical stimulation have been published.
In a study involving 33 people with chronic DFUs and mild to severe peripheral arterial disease, American researchers assigned participants to either a control group or an intervention group on a randomised basis.
The intervention group (IG) received one-hour home-based electrical stimulation therapy every day for four weeks. This was delivered through electrical pads placed above the ankle joint using a bio-electric stimulation technology (BEST®) platform (Tennant Biomodulator® PRO).
During the same period, the control group (CG) was provided with an identical but non-functioning device.
After four weeks, wound area reduction was assessed, with the team finding “the IG showed a significant wound area reduction of 22% (BL: 7.4 ± 8.5 cm2 vs 4W: 5.8 ± 8.0 cm2, P = 0.002). Average of wound area was unchanged in the CG (P = 0.982).”
The team, from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA, concluded: “Daily home-based E-Stim provides early results on the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of E-Stim as an adjunctive therapy to speed up wound healings in patients with chronic DFU and mild to severe PAD.”
The study, Home-Based Electrical Stimulation to Accelerate Wound Healing-A Double-Blinded Randomized Control Trial, can be found here.
