RECOMBINANT HUMAN EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR IN TREATING DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS-A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers are among the most common complications in patients with poor glycemic control. Diabetic foot ulcers are the result of poor glycemic control, underlying neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease, or poor foot care. Diabetic foot ulcers are a debilitating complication of diabetes mellitus that leads to increased overall morbidity in patients. When the recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) is used as the topical application it stimulates epithelial proliferation, differentiation, and migration. As a result of this, there is an acceleration of epithelial regeneration and wound healing of diabetic ulcers. The Aim and Objective: aim is to study the efcacy of recombinant human epidermal growth factor by comparing the time taken for healing, cost-effectiveness, patient compliance, and duration of hospital stay after topical application of epidermal growth factor over a control group treated with conventional dressings of saline and hydrogen peroxide, which acts as the control group. This study is a randomized controlled trial conducted in the Methods: Department of General Surgery, Kanyakumari Government Medical College, from September 2022 to February 2023. A total of 60 patients were divided into two groups: 30 patients in the interventional group treated with rhEGF and 30 patients in the control group receiving conventional dressings with saline and hydrogen peroxide were monitored, and the wound healing time, patient compliance, cost effectiveness, and duration of hospital stay were studied. A total of Results: 60 patients of which 38 (63.3%) were males and 22(36.6%) were female patients. The wound healing was better in the group treated with rhEGF and the duration of hospital stay was signicantly shorter. Patient compliance was found to be similar in both groups & conventional wound dressing was found to be cost effective as rhEGF topical application is a costly affair. This study suggests that recombinant human Conclusion: epidermal growth factor helps in the acceleration of epithelial regeneration and wound healing in diabetic ulcers. Patients who were treated with recombinant human epidermal growth factor had a signicant reduction in wound healing time and decreased duration of hospital stay.