Jeffcoate 2009.
Methods | RCT Setting: Hospital, 9 centres Country: UK Duration of follow‐up: 24 weeks Duration of treatment: 24 weeks or until healing Funding source: Not‐for‐profit Unit of analysis: Participant |
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Participants | 317 participants Inclusion criteria: Type 1 or 2 diabetes; 18 years of age or older; a foot ulcer present for at least 6 weeks with a cross‐sectional area of between 25 and 2500 mm²; able and willing to give informed consent; reasonably accessible by car to the hospital base; under routine review by the multidisciplinary clinic. Exclusion criteria: Those with a known allergy to any of the trial preparations (including iodine); any ulcer on either foot extending to tendon, periosteum, or bone, infection of bone, soft‐tissue infection requiring treatment with systemic antibiotics; an ulcer on a limb being considered for revascularisation; those chosen for management with a non‐removable cast without a dressing window; gangrene on the affected foot; eschar that was not removable by clinical debridement; those with evidence of a sinus or deep track; those in whom the hallux had been amputated on the affected side (preventing the measurement of toe pressure); those with an ankle‐brachial pressure index of less than 0.7 or toe systolic pressure less than 30 mmHg; ulceration judged to be caused primarily by disease other than diabetes; patients with any other serious disease likely to compromise the outcome of the trial; patients with critical renal disease (creatinine greater than 300 mmol/L); those receiving immunosuppressants, systemic corticosteroid therapy (other than by inhalation), or any other preparation that, in the opinion of the supervising clinician, could have interfered with wound healing; those living at such a distance (generally further than 10 miles) from the clinic as would have made frequent assessment visits inappropriately expensive or impractical, or both; those who withheld consent. Ulcer characteristics at baseline (size of ulcer, number of ulcers, duration of ulceration where reported): Not reported Infection status at baseline: Not clear |
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Interventions | Group 1: (n = 108) Non‐adherent dressing, viscose filament gauze (Johnson & Johnson) Group 2: (n = 103) Hydrocolloid (Hydrofiber) dressing (Aquacel, ConvaTec) Group 3: (n = 106) Iodine‐containing dressing (Inadine, Systagenix) Additional comments: Dressings were changed daily, on alternate days or 3 times a week according to need or availability of professional staff, or both. Participants were advised to have a bath or shower as often as they wished, provided the ulcer could be redressed afterwards, and provided the ulcerated foot was not immersed in water for more than 5 minutes. |
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Outcomes | Primary review outcomes: Proportion of ulcers healed Secondary review outcomes: Health‐related quality of life (Cardiff Wound Impact Schedule and SF‐36); amputations (minor and major); adverse events (serious and non‐serious) | |
Notes | Randomisation was stratified by both centre and size, using a block size of 9. Randomisation was stratified across the whole population by ulcer area into 3 groups: 25 to 100 mm², 101 to 250 mm², and 251 to 2500 mm². | |
Risk of bias | ||
Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Low risk | Quote: "Randomisation lists were created using SPSS (SPSS Inc., Version 14), using blinded dressing codes." Comment: Adequate |
Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Low risk | Quote: "The lists were held at Cardiff University and each recruiting centre telephoned a designated number during working hours. They were required to identify the centre and size of wound only." Comment: Adequate |
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes | High risk | Comment: The study was not blinded to personnel and participants. |
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Wound healing | Low risk | Quote: "Dressings were removed prior to examination by assessors who were not involved in the conduct of the trial and who were blind to the randomisation group." |
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Infection/resolution of infection | Unclear risk | Not clear if infection assessment was blinded |
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Secondary outcomes | Unclear risk | Not clear if adverse event data collection was blinded |
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Quote: "Intention to treat analysis was carried out using the last value carried forward method, with strict adherence to the protocol such that only those who attended for a healing verification visit and reported as still healed at 28 days have been coded as ‘healed’ for the outcome classification." Comment: ITT analysis was done, but imputing missing data attributable to withdrawal of trial participants due to adverse events and protocol violations. |
Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Low risk | Comment: Protocol not obtained, all outcomes stated in methods reported. |
Other bias | Low risk | Comment: None noted. |