Ballapalli Hari Prasad1, Mahidhar Reddy Venkatapuram2, Sreeram Satish3
Foot ulceration is mainly responsible for the morbidity of diabetes mellitus. They deprive the patient of quality working days and add to his financial burden. Several novel methods of wound healing came to vogue among which vacuum assisted dressing is becoming quite popular. Present study aims to evaluate its efficacy when compared to regular moist wound dressings. OBJECTIVES: To study the effectiveness of vacuum assisted dressings in terms of Rate of wound healing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: we carried out a prospective study at Narayana medical college hospital on two groups (group A and group B) of diabetic foot ulcer patients, whom we selected randomly after considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. Vacuum assisted dressings were done in group A patients and normal moist wound dressings in group B. At the start of the treatment and every week thereafter, size and depth of ulcers were recorded and results were compared at complete wound healing or at the end of 12 weeks of treatment whichever is earlier. Strict glycaemic control was maintained throughout the treatment period. RESULTS: significant healing was noticed in group A patients (vacuum assisted dressings group) both in terms of ulcer size and depth. Wounds appeared more-healthy i.e. with less slough and more red granulation tissue in group A patients. CONCLUSION: vacuum assisted dressing is an efficacious method in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers with significantly reduced hospital stay.
