Diabetes nursing Dressings Leg ulcers

Background: Diabetic ulcers are slow to heal and may result in amputation in 10–25 % of patients. Kerraboot ® was designed to encourage granulation, remove exudate away from the wound and enhance patient comfort during dressing changes. Aims: In this study of 32 patients, the acceptability of Kerraboot ® for the management of diabetic foot ulcers was compared to standard wound care treatment, Allevyn ™ by patients and healthcare workers. Methods: Questionnaires were completed by patients and healthcare workers to assess acceptability of dressing and impact on quality of life. Results: Kerraboot ® was better than Allevyn ™ in terms of ease of application and removal, convenience and resource utilisation. A 50 % reduction in the time taken to change the dressing was noted in the Kerraboot ® group (mean = 6.8, SD = 4.66 minutes vs Allevyn™, mean = 9.9, SD = 3.78 minutes; P=0.017). By the first week, 85.7 % of the patients in the Kerraboot ® group were able to change their dressing independently of nurses compared with 62.5 % in the Allevyn ™ group. Conclusions: Although there was no difference in healing rates between the groups, in the non-healing wounds there was a noticeable difference in the reduction of slough and increase in granulation tissue in the Kerraboot ® group compared to Allevyn™. Declaration of interest: Dr M Edmonds is a member of the ARK Therapeutics Advisory Panel