The number of patients with diabetes mellitus worldwide is increasing with geometric progression, and thus there is an increase in the percentage of related complications. Diabetic foot syndrome is one of the most serious chronic complications that often results in early disability, long stretches of hospitalization, mounting expenses, and an amputated limb. At present, vacuum therapy in the treatment of purulent necrotic lesions of diabetic foot syndrome is being successfully used in medical practice. The aim of our study was to search and verify for indirect methods of express control of the vacuum therapy efficacy. Based on applying our patented local treatment technique, which includes the negative pressure wound therapy, we determined the pH dynamic changes and the monitored the microbiological climate of wounds. According to the results obtained, the high efficacy of the proposed technique has been found out and statistically confirmed. Starting from the 4th day of applying this technique, the main group demonstrated induced, significantly accelerated pH changes in the wounds that create the conditions for early growth of granulation tissue; the reduction of microbial load in the wound indirectly enhances these processes that were found out twice as slow in the comparison group. Therefore, the contact pH monitoring of wound is quite helpful for checking the therapy efficacy as well as for predicting the course of wound healing. Our study has confirmed its effectiveness in pH changing that positively affects the course of wound healing. Applying negative pressure wound therapy as an integral component of combined treatment of purulent necrotic lesions of diabetic foot syndrome allows medical practitioners to accelerate pH changes to reach their optimum values and considerably promotes the beginning of the second phase of wound healing. The study has also proven the enhanced elimination of bacterial agents from the wound by using this technique that also promotes the early activation of the phase 2 and significantly reduces the percentage of suppurative complications in the future.
Negative pressure wound therapy use in diabetic foot syndrome-from mechanisms of action to clinical practice
