A PROSPECTIVE STUDY TO COMPARE WOUND HEALING IN DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS IN PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT PERIPHERAL VASCULAR OCCLUSIVE DISEASE.

Background: There is a high incidence of peripheral vascular occlusive disease (PVOD) in patients with diabetes and this can result in poor outcomes of diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) and wound healing. Objectives: To compare wound healing in DFU patients with and without PVOD and evaluate differences in wound healing with age and other factors. Methods: This prospective study enrolled 40 patients with grade 3 (based on Wagner classification) diabetic foot ulcers. Patients with a history of amputation, grade 4 and above ulcers were excluded from the study. based on ankle-brachial index (ABI) values, they were divided into two groups, with and without PVOD. After mapping the initial wound surface area on a graph sheet, wounds were debrided, treated with debriding agents and wound dressing done. All patients were followed once a month for 3 months, each time mapping the progress of wound surface area. Results: Mean age of patients was 64.05 +/-8.56 (SD). The mean ABI of patients with PVOD was 0.67, while that without PVOD was 1.12 (p<0.001). There was no difference in the rate of wound healing between the two groups (p=0.3487) and with standard care both sets of patients healed well. Conclusion: This study did not find any clinically significant difference in the healing of diabetic ulcers with or without PVOD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]