The effectiveness of dalethyne dressings for reducing bacteria in diabetic foot ulcers

Objective This study evaluates the effectiveness of a dalethyne dressing for decreasing bacteria in diabetic patients with infected foot ulcers. Methods This study was conducted from March to September 2018 with a sample of 30 participants from the outpatient Kitamura Wound Clinic in Pontianak City, Indonesia. A quasi-experimental non-equivalent pretest–posttest control group design was used for the study. Participants were divided into two groups: an intervention group (treated with a dalethyne dressing) and a control group (treated with a standard dressing). Two trained research assistants collected the data using the Wagner wound classification system and a bacteria counter. The assistants swabbed each wound surface with sterile cotton, and the swabs were used to conduct a bacteria culture and count. Results The study population was 50% female and 50% male with no significant differences between each other in age, HbA1c, blood pressure, or ankle-brachial index (ABI; P > 0.05). Both groups had a significant reduction in the number of bacteria from the pretest to posttest ( P < 0.05). Mann–Whitney analysis of posttest data indicated a significant difference in bacteria reduction between the control group (median = 2.25) and the intervention group (median = 7.6; P = 0.018). It was noted that Staphylococcus aureus was found in the control group at posttest, but not in the intervention group. Conclusions This study provides evidence that a dalethyne dressing is effective for killing S. aureus in the infected foot ulcers of diabetic patients.