Use of injectable acellular dermal matrix combined with negative pressure wound therapy in open diabetic foot amputation

Objective: Skin grafts after negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and acellular dermal matrix (ADM) usage have both been useful for treating diabetic foot amputation. We hypothesised that injectable ADM combined with NPWT would be more useful than NPWT only for healing after amputation in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of injectable ADM combined with NPWT in patients with DFU who have undergone amputation. Method: This retrospective study reviewed patients with infected DFUs who were administered NPWT. Patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 included patients who were treated with NPWT only, while Group 2 included patients who were treated with injectable ADM combined with NPWT. Clinical results including the number of NPWT dressing changes, wound healing duration, and full-thickness skin graft (FTSG) incident rate between the two groups were compared. Results: A total of 41 patients took part in the study (Group 1=20, Group 2=21). The mean number of NPWT dressing changes was significantly lower in Group 2 (8.71±3.77) than in Group 1 (13.90±5.62) (p=0.001). Mean wound healing period was shorter in Group 2 (3.17±1.36 weeks) than in Group 1 (5.47±1.68 weeks) (p=0.001). Finally, the rate of patients who underwent FTSG for complete wound closure was 85% in Group 1, whereas it was only 14.3% in Group 2. Conclusion: In this study, the use of injectable ADM combined with NPWT in patients with DFU who underwent amputation favoured complete wound healing, without the need to resort to the use of skin grafts.