Comparison of Vacuum Assisted Closure and Saline Dressing in Patients With Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Overview

Conventionally diabetic foot is treated with moist wound dressing and antibiotics but recent studies show that VAC dressing gives better results as compared to conventional saline dressing in treating Diabetic Foot Ulcers. This may decrease amputations rate, work load on hospitals, hospital stay, repeated hospital admissions, unemployment and can improve patient's quality of life. Objective of the study was to compare the effectiveness of Vacuum Assisted Closure therapy with saline dressing in management of diabetic foot ulcers in terms of granulation tissue formation and wound healing.

it was a randomized Controlled Trial done in department of Surgery, Mayo Hospital,vLahore, Pakistan from January 2022 to July 2022. Patients divided in two groups, in the VAC group (Group A), the wound bed was filled with a saline soaked gauze piece after it is thoroughly cleaned. VAC was applied by placing sterile pads in two layers with a 16Fr Ryle's tube placed between the two layers and then the wound was sealed by a sterile transparent polyurethane sheet. The tube was connected to a wall mounted suction device and the pressure was set at -125 mmHg. In the Saline group (Group B), normal saline dressing was given. This consists of placing a saline soaked gauze piece over the wound bed after cleaning the wound. Patients were assessed and followed for wound healing. The primary outcome parameter was time taken to complete wound healing. Secondary outcome parameters were granulation tissue formation using a visual score and complication of bleeding, pain, and infection. Only healthy granulation tissue which appears pink was considered for scoring assessment. Infection was assessed by wound culture sensitivity which was sent every week.