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Topical oxygen therapy results in complete wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers
Author(s) -
Yu Janelle,
Lu Suzanne,
McLaren AnnMarie,
Perry Julie A.,
Cross Karen M.
Publication year - 2016
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 - 10.1111/wrr.12490
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetic foot , amputation , diabetic foot ulcer , wound healing , randomized controlled trial , wound care , surgery , population , diabetes mellitus , diabetic ulcers , oxygen therapy , foot (prosody) , linguistics , philosophy , environmental health , endocrinology
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a significant problem in an aging population. Fifteen percent of diabetics develop a DFU over their lifetime, which can lead to potential amputation. The 5‐year survival rate after amputation is 31%, which is greater than the lifetime risk of mortality from cancer. Topical oxygen is a promising technique for the adjunctive therapy of chronic wounds including DFUs, but few controlled studies exist to support its clinical adoption. The aim of this study was to compare a portable topical oxygen delivery system in patients with nonhealing DFUs to standard best practice. Twenty patients were randomized into a topical oxygen group ( n = 10), and a nonplacebo control group with regular dressings and standard care ( n = 10), and attended the diabetic foot clinic once weekly for 8 weeks. Ulcer surface area over time was analyzed using standardized digital imaging software. DFUs were present without healing for a mean duration of 76 weeks prior to the study. They found a significant difference in healing rate between patients receiving topical oxygen and those receiving standard care. Topical oxygen, therefore, represents a potentially exciting new technology to shorten healing time in patients with nonhealing DFUs. More prospective randomized and powered studies are needed to determine the benefits of topical oxygen, but our current results are very promising.