Objective: The present study explored the effectiveness of using a non-invasive skin-stretching device (NSSD) combined with negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for the postoperative wound repair of diabetic foot (DF) gangrene.
Methods: The treatment group in this study involved 42 patients with Wagner grade 3– 4 DF  and undergone concomitant toe amputation or debridement, who were given NPWT combined with the use of a NSSD. The control group comprised 42 patients with similar trauma areas (± 20%) that were matched at a ratio of 1:1. Following surgery, these patients received NPWT combined with the use of conventional dressings. A comparison was made of the postoperative wound healing rates and wound healing times of the two groups, with Kaplan–Meier survival analysis being used to compare the healing rate over time.
Results: The three-month wound healing rate was higher in the treatment group than in the control group (38 of 42 [90.5%] vs 25 of 42 [59.5%], p = 0.002), and the wound healing time was shorter in the treatment group (44 days [95% CI 40.0– 48.0]) than that in the control group (76 days [95% CI 63.0– 89.0], p = 0.000). Taking the end of the final NPWT as the starting point, the comparison of wound healing time revealed that this period was shorter in the treatment group than that in the control group and the difference was statistically significant (11 days [95% CI 9.0– 13.0] vs 42 days [95% CI 23.0–ND], p = 0.000).
Conclusion: The use of the NPWT technique combined with a NSSD can shorten the wound healing time and improve the wound healing rate of DF gangrene patients during the postoperative wound repair period.
Keywords: diabetic foot, negative-pressure wound therapy, wound healing, skin-stretching device