Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Apr 8:5.
doi: 10.3402/dfa.v5.23345. eCollection 2014.

Vacuum-assisted closure versus conventional dressings in the management of diabetic foot ulcers: a prospective case-control study

Ali M Lone  1 , Mohd I Zaroo  1 , Bashir A Laway  2 , Nazir A Pala  2 , Sheikh A Bashir  1 , Altaf Rasool  1
Affiliations

Vacuum-assisted closure versus conventional dressings in the management of diabetic foot ulcers: a prospective case-control study

Ali M Lone et al. Diabet Foot Ankle. .

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) versus conventional dressings in the healing of diabetic foot ulcerations (DFUs) in terms of healing rate (time to prepare the wound for closure either spontaneously or by surgery), safety, and patient satisfaction.

Methods: Randomized case-control study enrolling 56 patients, divided into two groups. Group A (patients treated with VAC) and Group B (patients treated with conventional dressings), with an equal number of patients in each group. DFUs were treated until wound closure, either spontaneously, surgically, or until completion of the 8-week period.

Results: Granulation tissue appeared in 26 (92.85%) patients by the end of Week 2 in Group A, while it appeared in 15 (53.57%) patients by that time in Group B. 100% granulation was achieved in 21 (77.78%) patients by the end of Week 5 in Group A as compared to only 10 (40%) patients by that time in Group B. Patients in Group A had fewer number of positive blood cultures, secondary amputations and were satisfied with treatment as compared to Group B.

Conclusion: VAC appears to be more effective, safe, and patient satisfactory compared to conventional dressings for the treatment of DFUs.

Keywords: conventional dressings; diabetic foot ulcer; infections; vacuum-assisted closure; wound closure.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ahmed AM. History of diabetes mellitus. Saudi Med J. 2002;23:373–8. - PubMed
    1. Nalini S, David G, Armstrong DG, Lipsky BA. Preventing foot ulcers in patients with diabetes. JAMA. 2005;293:217–28. - PubMed
    1. Reiber GE, Vileikyte L, Boyko EJ, del AM, Smith DG, Lavery LA, et al. Causal pathways for incident lower extremity ulcers in patients with diabetes from two settings. Diabetes Care. 1999;22:157–62. - PubMed
    1. American Diabetes Association. Consensus development conference on diabetic foot wound care. Diabetes Care. 1999;22:1354–60. - PubMed
    1. Armstrong DG, Lavery LA. Diabetic foot ulcers: prevention, diagnosis and classification. Am Fam Physician. 1998;57:1325–32. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources