title: Clinical outcomes of wide postsurgical lesions in the infected diabetic foot managed with 2 different local treatment regimes compared using a quasi-experimental study design: a preliminary communication.
abstract: The safety and efficacy of a novel superoxidized solution (Dermacyn Wound Care [DWC], Oculus Innovative Sciences, Petaluma, Calif) was evaluated for the treatment of wide postsurgical infected ulcers of the diabetic foot. A group (group A, n = 18) of patients with diabetes mellitus who had postsurgical lesions > 5 cm(2) without ischemia or infection were recruited consecutively and treated with DWC-saturated dressings. These dressings were renewed once daily and were compared with a group of patients that had been previously treated with diluted povidone iodine (group B, n = 15) using a quasi-experimental study design. Both sets of patients also received standard systemic antibiotic therapy, as per the practice in this center, and local surgical debridement. Patients had weekly assessments until wounds had re-epithelialized completely. Patients in group A had statistically significant shorter healing time and duration of antibiotic therapy and a higher healing rate at 6 months compared with those in group B (p < .01). Recurrence of infection, requirement for debridement procedures, and requirement for minor amputations were significantly less frequent during follow-up in group A patients (p < .05) when compared with those in group B. These preliminary data suggest that DWC used as a wound dressing together with other local and systemic therapies may have a role in reducing healing time as well as complications in patients with diabetes who have postsurgical lesions of the diabetic foot. These data propose the need for a robust controlled study of DWC-saturated dressings to explore its full potential.
authors.affiliation: Diabetic Foot Section, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goretti
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazzurco
authors.forename: Laura Ambrosini
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Nobili
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Macchiarini
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tedeschi
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Palumbo
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scatena
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piaggesi
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001458:Bandages; D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods*; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011206:Povidone-Iodine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D011206:Povidone-Iodine