School of Podiatric Medicine - Medical Student Research
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
Spring 4-27-2025
Abstract
Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are slow-healing wounds that can lead to serious complications. Choosing the right dressing is important for improving healing. Silver alginate dressings are commonly used because they help fight infection and may promote faster recovery. This scoping review examines existing research on the effect of silver alginate dressings on DFU healing time.
Method: A literature search was conducted using Google Scholar and PubMed with the search terms: ““Diabetic foot ulcer” AND "wound healing" AND “silver Dressing” AND "alginate"” and “Diabetic foot ulcer AND wound healing AND silver Dressing AND alginate”, respectively. Articles published between 2005 and 2025 in English, Mandarin, Malayalam, and Hindi languages that assessed DFU healing time in relation to silver alginate dressings were included in the review. A total of 360 articles were initially identified. After screening for relevance, one study was selected for qualitative analysis. In the study, 11 subjects (7M and 4F) with an average age of 63.36 and type II diabetes mellitus with an average HbA1c level of 8.27mmol/ L were treated with silver alginate dressings on their foot ulcer.
Results: Complete wound closure with smooth epithelial surface was achieved after an average healing time of 11.45 weeks.
Discussion: Silver alginate dressings may have a higher ulcer reduction rate, and a lower wound infection rate compared to other dressings; however, the results were not statistically significant. Further research is needed to determine the true effectiveness of silver alginate dressings in DFU treatment.
Recommended Citation
Lanka, Srilalitha; Sajeev, Merlin; Sima, Jessica; and Killeen, Amanda, "Diabetic Foot Ulcer Healing Time with Silver Alginate Dressing: A Scoping Review" (2025). School of Podiatric Medicine - Medical Student Research. 3.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/sopm_mspub/3
