Using Wireless Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Predict Wound Prognosis in Diabetic Foot Ulcers

OBJECTIVE: To use wearable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to determine the effect of Buerger exercises on diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) healing. 

METHODS: Study authors enrolled 50 consecutive patients in a 1-year prospective observational study of DFUs. The patients were divided into groups by their arterial statuses: group A (no peripheral arterial disease [PAD]), group B (PAD without angioplasty), and group C (PAD with angioplasty). Tissue perfusion was assessed through wireless wearable NIRS to determine the effects of Buerger exercises on wound healing. 

MAIN RESULTS: The patients in group C were older, were more likely to have had an amputation, and had more severe wounds than did the patients in other groups. The requirements of insulin injection for diabetes mellitus control differed significantly (P = .024) among the three groups. At the end of the survey, 19 patients (38%) had unhealed DFUs. The NIRS revealed that most nonhealed patients in groups B and C shared higher resting hemoglobin levels and tissue blood volume and lower tissue oxygen concentration, which indicated inflammation accompanied by higher blood flow and oxygen consumption. Notably, the nonhealed patients in group C showed paradoxically reduced hemoglobin and tissue blood volume after the exercises. 

CONCLUSIONS: Although DFUs remain a challenge to treat, NIRS may prove valuable in predicting wound healing by identifying risk factors for poor wound prognosis, such as reduced hemoglobin and tissue blood volume after exercise.