A combination of ultrasonic debridement and Shenghong wet dressing in patients with chronic ulcers of the lower limbs.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the effects of ultrasonic debridement plus a wet dressing of Shenghong (SH) on chronic ulcer healing of the lower extremities in patients with diabetes.

METHODS

Sixty cases of diabetes combined with chronic lower limb ulcers were randomly divided into control (n = 30) and experimental (n = 30) groups. The control group was treated with ultrasonic debridement plus recombinant human fibroblast growth factor (FGF) gel. The experimental group was treated with ultrasonic debridement plus SH wet dressing.

RESULTS

The mean clinical efficacy in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (93.33% ± 6.32% versus 60.0% ± 5.87%). The mean ulcer area was significantly smaller and the mean ulcer healing rate was significantly shorter in the first 3 months, and the mean overall pain intensity score was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. Moreover, the positive rates of bacterial culture on the 7 and 15 days were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group.

CONCLUSION

The use of ultrasonic debridement plus SH wet dressing for treating ulcers can significantly improve clinical efficacy and promote healing.