Background: A decrease in blood circulation in diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) leads to a reduction in the angiogenesis process, macrophages function, neutrophils, and growth factors, which in turn slow the healing process. However, electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) can be used to stimulate the muscle that leads to the lower limbs, increasing local blood circulation. Aim: This study was conducted to identify changes in the ABI and the wound development score following EMS in DFUs. Methods: We used sequential sampling of respondents who met the inclusion criteria. The control group received standard wound care, while the intervention group received standard wound care plus EMS therapy. EMS intervention was performed for 4 weeks for 30 minutes per day. Result: The intervention group that received standard wound care plus the EMS had better-wound healing than the group that only received standard wound care. Conclusion: EMS can increase nitric oxide, which causes vasodilation of the blood vessels and stimulates cell synthesis and migration to the wound area.

Key words: ■Diabetic foot ulcer  ■Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS)  ■Nitric Oxide  ■Veinoplus Arterial

Sukarni is a lecturer in the Department of Nursing Education, University of Tanjungpura, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia; Hikmat Permana is an Internist of Hasan Sadikin Hospital Bandung, West Java; Chandra Isabella is a lecturer in the Department of Nursing Education, University of Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia

JACQUI FLETCHER OBE Clinical Editor, Wounds UK

Author: Joyce Black

Joyce Black is Professor, College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, US

This meeting report is based on the Mölnlycke-sponsored workshop held at the sixth World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS) Congress on March 1–5, 2022, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The workshop, titled ‘Surgical incision care — negative pressure wound therapy and advanced dressings: what to use and when’, included presentations from Kylie Sandy Hodgetts, Rhidian Morgan-Jones and Amit Gefen. The topics of surgical dressings, risk assessment and requirements of closed-incision negative pressure wound therapy (ciNPWT) were all explored.

Authors:

Rhidian Morgan-Jones (Chair), Amit Gefen and Kylie Sandy-Hodgetts

Rhidian Morgan-Jones (Chair) is Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Cardiff Knee Clinic, University Hospital Llandough, Cardiff, UK; Amit Gefen is Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the Herbert J. Berman Chair in Vascular Bioengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Kylie Sandy-Hodgetts is Associate Professor, Centre of Molecular Medicine & Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University; Senior Research Fellow, Director Skin Integrity Research Institute, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.