Trial data
Study	Groups	Primary outcome: ulcer healing	Secondary: health‐related quality of life	Number and level of amputations	Adverse events, including pain	Cost	Ulcer recurrence
Baker 1993	Group A (n = 10): Foam dressing Group B (n = 10): Calcium alginate dressing	Number of ulcers healed at 12 weeks Group A: 9 Group B: 4 Median healing time (days) Group A: 28 Group B: Median time to healing was not reached by 84 days Cox's proportional hazards model adjusted for initial ulcer size and duration of ulcer at baseline and treatment effect gave a hazard ratio of 4.04 in favour of foam dressing (95% CI 1.18 to 13.84).	n/r	n/r	n/r	n/r	n/r
Blackman 1994	Group A (n = 11): Foam dressing Group B (n = 7): Wet‐to‐dry saline gauze dressings.	Number of ulcers healed at 2 months Group A: 3 Group B: 0 Average size of ulcer at 2 months compared to baseline (unclear if bracketed figures are sd) Group A: 35% (16%) Group B: 105% (26% Substantial improvement noted in ulcer size (not defined) Group A: 10 Group B: 2	n/r	n/r	n/r	n/r	n/r
Clever 1995	Group A (n = 20): Foam dressing Group B (n = 20): Hydrocolloid (polyurethane matrix) dressing	Number of ulcers healed: Group A:14 Group B:16 Mean time to healing in days (sd) Group A: 20.43 (14.74) Group B: 25.19 (23.52) Median time to healing in days Group A: 16.5 (range 4 to 52) Group B: 15.5 (range 4 to 76) Wound size at 4 weeks mm2 (sd): Group A: 33.46 (75.22) Group B: 32.37 (54.12)			Number of adverse events (Reasons not reported separately for two groups): Group A: 5 Group B: 1	Mean number of dressing changes between clinical visits (sd): Group A: 2.37 (2.18) Group B: 2.23 (2.19)
Foster 1994	Group A (n = 15): Foam dressing   Group B (n = 15): Calcium‐alginate dressing	Ulcer healing: Number of ulcers healed: Group A: 9 Group B: 8 Ulcers improved (not defined): Group A: 6 Group B: 3 Median time to healing (days) (K‐M plot is presented but no median time to healing or HR from a Cox's Proportional Hazards analysis has been presented. The median time to healing was estimated by the reviewer author from the graph). Group A: 40 Group B: 42	n/r	n/r	Group A: 0 Group B: Severe pain = 1; Dressings plugged a plantar lesion, preventing free drainage of exudate = 3  (1 developed cellulitis)	n/r	n/r
Mazzone 1993	Group A (n = 11): Foam membrane dressing (PolyMem, Ferris). No other details Group B (n = 8): Wet‐to‐dry saline gauze dressings. No other details.	Ulcer healing Number of ulcers healed: Group A: 7 Group B: 2 % reduction in wound size: Group A: 71 Group B: 29	n/r	n/r	n/r	n/r	n/r
Roberts 2001	Group A (n = 14): Foam dressing Group B (n = 16): Saline‐soaked low adherent wound contact dressings .	Number of ulcers healed: Group A: 6 Group B: 4 % ulcers reduced in area by 50% : Group A: 93 Group B: 75	n/r	n/r	n/r	n/r	n/r