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Effect of electrical stimulation on foot skin perfusion in persons with or at risk for diabetic foot ulcers
Author(s) -
Gilcreast Darlene M.,
Stotts Nancy A.,
Froelicher Erika S.,
Baker Lucinda L.,
Moss Kathryn M.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
wound repair and regeneration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.847
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1524-475X
pISSN - 1067-1927
DOI - 10.1046/j.1524-475x.1998.60505.x
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetic foot , foot (prosody) , diabetes mellitus , blood flow , amputation , stimulation , anesthesia , analysis of variance , perfusion , surgery , endocrinology , philosophy , linguistics
The failure of foot wounds to heal results in 54,000 people with diabetes having to undergo extremity amputations annually. Therefore, treatment is needed to speed healing in people with diabetes in order to reduce the need for amputation. This study tested the effect of high‐voltage pulsed current on foot blood flow in human beings who are at risk for diabetic foot ulcers. Neuropathy, vascular disease, Wagner Class, glucose, gender, ethnicity, and age were measured. A sample of 132 subjects was tested using a repeated‐measures design. A baseline transcutaneous oxygen level was obtained; stimulation was applied, and transcutaneous oxygen measurements were recorded at 30‐ and 60‐minute time intervals. The grouped foot transcutaneous oxygen levels decreased ({ifF = 5.66, p = .0039}) following electrical stimulation. Analysis of variance (Scheffe, p < .05) showed that initial transcutaneous oxygen was significantly higher than subsequent readings. However, oxygen response was distributed bimodally: 35 (27%) subjects showed increased transcutaneous oxygen (mean 14.8 mm Hg), and 97 (73%) experienced a decreased transcutaneous oxygen reading (mean 12.2 mm Hg). Logistic regression analysis did not explain these differences. Although this treatment appears to increase blood flow in a subset of patients, further study is needed to identify probable mechanisms for this response.