Using a combination of a non-invasive skin-stretching device (NSSD) and negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) can shorten postoperative wound healing time in cases of diabetic foot gangrene, a new study indicates.
Researchers from the Department of Endocrinology at the Air Force Medical Center, Beijing, looked at the effectiveness of combining the two methods.
The treatment group was made up of 42 patients with Wagner grade 3-4 diabetic foot who had undergone concomitant toe amputation or debridement, who were given NPWT combined with the use of a NSSD.
The control group comprised 42 patients with similar trauma areas (±20%) that were matched at a ratio of 1:1. Following surgery, these patients received NPWT combined with the use of conventional dressings.
A comparison was made of the postoperative wound healing rates and wound healing times of the two groups, showing the following results: “The three-month wound healing rate was higher in the treatment group than in the control group (38 of 42 [90.5%] vs 25 of 42 [59.5%], p = 0.002), and the wound healing time was shorter in the treatment group (44 days [95% CI 40.0-48.0]) than that in the control group (76 days [95% CI 63.0-89.0], p = 0.000).”
The team concluded that the combination of the two treatment methods, NPWT and NSSD, “can shorten the wound healing time and improve the wound healing rate of diabetic foot gangrene patients during the postoperative wound repair period”.
