Diabetic foot ulcers: case series.

AIM

To assess the therapeutic effect of blue LED light (Emoled) used as adjuvant therapy in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

METHODS

• Patients undergoing treatment at the Wound Care Unit, Hospital of Kuala Lumpur were randomly selected. Blue light treatment was applied as adjuvant therapy in addition to the most suitable primary dressing according to the WCUHKL standard of care.
• The DFUs were irradiated twice a week for 120 seconds on each wound area of 20cm², until all the surface was covered. Then dressing and offloading were re-applied.
• Wound bed tissue and ulcers’ size reduction were assessed.

RESULTS

• Five patients were recruited; three of them had previously undergone amputations and two of them had presented DFUs for a relevant period (≥ 12 months) before the beginning of the Blue LED treatment.
• In a maximum treatment period of ten weeks all the five patients showed wound bed improvement and size reduction. Specifically, two patients have achieved complete healing and two patients have achieved a relevant size reduction respectively by 90% and by 94%.
• The Blue LED Light treatment was well tolerated by the patients and fast (due to the diabetic foot ulcers’ small dimensions).

CONCLUSIONS

According to the authors’ preliminary experience Blue LED Light treatment (EmoLED) is a promising adjuvant therapy for promoting wound healing in patients with DFUs.