Wound cleansing solutions versus normal saline in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers – A systematic review

Abstract

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a major complication of diabetes mellitus, defined as infection, ulceration and/or destruction of deep tissues and/or peripheral artery disease in the lower extremities. Efficient cleansing is essential for the treatment of wounds, as it removes debris and necrotic tissue and decreases the burden of wound-colonizing microorganisms.

The objective was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to investigate the effects of wound cleansing agents commonly used in DFU care, compared to the use of normal saline for DFU management.

This systematic review adhered to the PRISMA guidelines with additional guidance from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and was registered in PROSPERO 2023.

The included Randomized Controlled Trials compared various wound cleansing solutions to standard care practices recommended by the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot. Findings indicate that Dakins solution and chloramines, as well as hypertonic saline, may improve ulcer healing compared to normal saline or standard treatment. However, we identified only three low-quality studies, each with a high risk of bias. Therefor, the certainty of the evidence is low, and we cannot conclusively determine the effectiveness of these cleansing agents in improving wound healing outcomes.