Weekly standard of care heals diabetic foot ulcers

People with Diabetes who have nerve damage usually in the limbs and lack of blood flow, typically caused by peripheral arterial disease are at increased risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers and other foot abnormalities. An inability to feel pain and temperature, is the most common risk factor for foot ulceration. If a person with decreased sensation gets a blister or other injury, they may not notice it and it can develop into an ulcer.

Researchers compared three approaches when tackling wound healing especially of diabetic foot ulcers - the costly cellular matrix (CM) product, the less costly acellular matrix (ACM) products and basic standard of care (SOC) where the person with Diabetes with a diabetic foot ulcer would have weekly wound care by a podiatrist or diabetic foot specialist. They conducted a trial with 117 people with diabetic foot ulcers who were randomly divided into three groups.

The study showed that after 12 weeks of therapy, 57 per cent in the CM group, 79 per cent in the ACM group and 62 per cent in the SOC group showed complete wound healing. After 29 weeks, 74 per cent in the CM group, 69 per cent in the ACM group and 78 per cent in the SOC group showed complete wound healing.

This study highlighted that expensive treatment was not the only option to consider. Expensive did not equate with better treatment. Basic standard of care treatments yielded healing rates equivalent to that of people treated with either CM or ACM products and for a fraction of their price.

-The Lancet, 2023