Evaluation of removable and irremovable cast walkers in the healing of diabetic foot wounds: A randomized controlled trial

David G. Armstrong, Lawrence A. Lavery, Stephanie Wu, Andrew J M Boulton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

224 Scopus citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a removable cast walker (RCW) and an "instant" total contact cast (iTCC) in healing neuropathic diabetic foot ulcerations. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - We randomly assigned 50 patients with University of Texas grade 1A diabetic foot ulcerations into one of two off-loading treatment groups: an RCW or the same RCW wrapped with a cohesive bandage (iTCC) so patients could not easily remove the device. Subjects were evaluated weekly for 12 weeks or until wound healing. RESULTS - An intent-to-treat analysis showed that a higher proportion of patients had ulcers that were healed at 12 weeks in the iTCC group than in the RCW group (82.6 vs. 51.9%, P = 0.02, odds ratio 1.8 [95% CI 1.1 - 2.9]). Of the patients with ulcers that healed, those treated with an iTCC healed significantly sooner (41.6 ± 18.7 vs. 58.0 ± 15.2 days, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS - Modification of a standard RCW to increase patient adherence to pressure off-loading may increase both the proportion of ulcers that heal and the rate of healing of diabetic neuropathic wounds.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)551-554
Number of pages4
JournalDiabetes care
Volume28
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2005

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Internal Medicine
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Advanced and Specialized Nursing

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