Effect of Compound Xuejie Powder combined with negative pressure wound therapy on diabetic foot ulcers and blood flow in the dorsal foot artery.

OBJECTIVE

To observe the therapeutic effect of Compound Xuejie Powder combined with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) on diabetic foot ulcers and its influence on the blood flow of the dorsal artery in the foot.

METHODS

A total of 103 patients with diabetic foot ulcers, admitted to our hospital between February 2021 and March 2023, were included in this study. The control group was given NPWT on the basis of conventional treatment such as controlling blood sugar and blood pressure, anti-infection therapy and improving blood circulation, while the observation group was given Compound Xuejie Powder combined with NPWT on the basis of conventional treatment. The two groups were compared in terms of granulation tissue coverage and thickness, wound healing time, levels of inflammatory factors related to Notch signaling pathway in wound exudation, serum angiogenesis factors, and dorsal foot artery blood flow.

RESULTS

Before treatment, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the levels of inflammatory factors related to the Notch signaling pathway in wound exudates or serum angiogenesis factors (all P>0.05). After treatment, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level increased, while the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17 and chemoattractant factor (pigment epithelium-derived factor, PEDF) decreased in both groups, an these alterations in the observation group were more pronounced compared to the control group (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in dorsal foot artery blood flow before treatment (all P>0.05); however, Vm, PI, RI and vascular diameter were notably increased in both groups after the treatment, with more pronounced improvements noticed in the observation group (all P<0.05). The total effective rate, granulation tissue coverage rate, and granulation tissue thickness were significantly higher while wound healing time was significantly shorter in the observation group compared to the control group (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

In the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, Compound Xuejie Powder combined with NPWT can effectively inhibit local inflammation, improve the blood flow of the dorsal foot artery and promote ulcer healing.