A competitive study of topical sucralfate and ordinary saline for diabetic ulcer dressing

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study to compare the topical sucralfate and ordinary saline for diabetic ulcer dressing.
Materials and method: Of the 100 patients, 50 received traditional normal saline dressings and the other 50
received sucralfate dressings. Both groups used pressure relief from the affected area but no antibiotics. Both
groups received once-daily dressings. The patients were followed up on a daily basis for 3 weeks in both groups.
Results: Thirty percent of the patients had ulcers on the dorsal surface of the forefoot, and ten percent had
ulcers on the medial malleoli. In conventional normal saline dressings, about 50% of the patients had ulcers on
the plantar aspect and about 10% on the lateral malleoli, and 28% of the patients had ulcers on the dorsal surface
of the forefoot and 20% had ulcers on the medial malleoli. In Sucralfate dressing, approximately 46% of the
plantar aspect and approximately 6% of the lateral malleoli are affected. Dressing with sucralfate. In the
Sucralfate dressing, 88% of patients had a negative culture. whereas 98% of patients receiving conventional
normal saline dressings had a positive culture. Diabetic ulcers in the Sucralfate dressing had a better mean
percentage reduction of area of 43.59±7.81 when compared to the Conventional normal saline dressings, which
had a mean percentage reduction of area of 21.85±5.84 when the two groups were studied using an independent
sample. The T-test was found to be statistically significant (P 0.0001).
Conclusion: Sucralfate dressing is an efficient modality for facilitating wound area reduction in diabetic foot
ulcer patients, and it can be used as an adjunct to conventional treatment (conventional dressings and
debridement) for faster and better healing of diabetic ulcers. The wounds in the sucralfate dressing group
contracted more than the wounds in the ordinary saline group