Objective: To compare the treatment effects between
negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and traditional
therapy in diabetic patients with
foot ulcers. Methods: Diabetic patients with
foot ulcers were selected from Endocrinology Ward between January 2015 and December 2016. All the patients were consecutively selected to receive NPWT in addition to the traditional
therapy. Each patient receiving NPWT was individually matched with a patient receiving only traditional
therapy and selected as the control group. Patients were controlled in both groups for age, sex and history of diabetes,
hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, and severity of the
ulcer. Each patient received
therapy for 3 months and was evaluated at the end of treatment. Treatment efficacy was evaluated by examining the lesion area before and after the
therapy. Outcomes were compared between the two groups using the Chi square test. Results: A total of 62 patients were included in the study, with 31 cases in each group.Three months later, in the NPWT group, 26 patients had good
therapeutic effects, 5 patients had poor efficacy, and 4 patients underwent the surgical treatment. While in the control group, only 18 patients had good
therapeutic effects, 13 patients had poor efficacy, and 6 patients underwent surgical treatment. The effective percentage was significantly higher in NPWT group than that of the control group(P<0.05). Conclusion: NPWT can effectively improve the healing process of patients with
diabetic foot ulcers in 3 months.