Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Integrated Irrigation for the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

 In India, diabetic foot wound care is found to be expensive and usually neglected. That results in increased morbidity, mortality. Offloading is not routinely given in clinics  and patients are not adequately convinced that such a foot wear is helpful to them. Preventing diabetic foot ulcers from progressing in depth and becoming infected and developing into more serious conditions is not only clinically beneficial but also has a positive impact on health care resources.
Given the high costs of non healing wounds and the associated negative impact on patient quality of life, outpatient interventions that prevent ulcer progression and promote healing are of benefit to patients and clinicians. The recently introduced NPWT, is decreasing the healing time and effective too in controlling the infection. In Hyderabad, India- VAC (Vacum assisted closure) therapy is now available both in the hospitals and at the home. It is costing Rs.10,000 to Rs20,000 depending on the duration of the therapy.
In a prospective study conducted in a clinic setting, NPWT using the Svedman Wound Treatment System with irrigation was successful in facilitating wound closure and healing in both large and small wounds resulting from complications of diabetic neuropathy and pressure on the distal lower limb. Wound irrigation in addition to the negative pressure further facilitates the healing and control of infection. In other words after a long period of time the diabetic foot wound care is becoming more simpler and effective. This NPWT is added to the adequate and repeated debridements and skin grafting.