High Tone External Muscle Stimulation on Diabetic Foot Ulcer

Effect of High Tone External Muscle Stimulation on Diabetic Foot Ulcer

In this study 80 patients will be randomly assigned into two equal groups (40 patients for each group):

1. Group A: Experimental: (high tone external muscle stimulation for diabetic foot ulcer).

   The study group will include 40 patients with diabetic foot ulcer receiving high tone external muscle stimulation three times a week for 8 weeks; in addition to Standard Medical Treatment: The Standard care of diabetic foot ulcers includes good glycemic control, adequate nutrition, off-loading (via bed rest or casts), local care (moist dressings and topical management), lessening of edema, surgical debridement of devitalized wound tissue and antibiotic therapy.

2. Group B: Control: The control group will include 40 patients with diabetic foot ulcer receiving Standard Medical Treatment only. The Standard care of diabetic foot ulcers includes good glycemic control, adequate nutrition, off-loading (via bed rest or casts), local care (moist dressings and topical management), lessening of edema, surgical debridement of devitalized wound tissue and antibiotic therapy.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Diabetic Foot Ulcer
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: high tone external muscle stimulation; Other: Standard medical treatment (SMT)

Detailed Description

1. Assessment measures and procedures:

   1- Wound Healing:

   1.a- Extent of wound: The wound will be measured using Image J, open source digital imaging software developed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to measure wound area of the target wound, in mm2 (the largest foot wound if multiple wounds are present). Image J software has been used specifically for the measurement of diabetic foot ulcers with very high inter- and intra-rater reliability (p=0.997 and 0.999 respectively). The wound will be traced on acetate paper using a fine permanent marker for use in Image J and a standard distance photograph of the wound will be taken to document wound bed characteristics after physician debridement to healthy granulating tissue or healthy bleeding tissue is reached. A completely healed wound has complete epithelialization (William et al., 2017).

   1.b-Direct measurement of volume using physiological saline: The wound will be covered with a sterile polyurethane film and then filled up with physiological saline injected using a needle that pierces the film. The quantity of saline corresponds to the wound volume. Wound volume measurements will be taken at baseline, after 4 weeks (midpoint) and after 8 weeks (HUMBERT et al., 2004).

2. Treatment procedures:

Device HiToP®: Parameters of (HTEMS), Voltage: 230-V Pulse widths: ≤350 mA. Electrical Frequency: Frequencies continuously scanned from 4096 Hz to 31768 Hz, allowing for a much higher power of up to 5000 m W. Intensity: the electrical stimulation will be adjusted to a pleasant level that will not produce any pain or discomfortable paraesthesia, Duration 30 minutes per session. Electrodes will be placed around ulcer. It will be introduced 3 times per week, for 8 weeks Prior to intervention, skin sensation will be assessed using warm water in a test-tube (temperature), pin prick (pain) and cotton wool (light touch) to ascertain the skin sensitivity (Abdel Moez et al., 2022).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Aya Gamal Elsayed, PHD; Phone Number: +0201001475959; Email: drayasa3ada@yahoo.com

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Giza, Egypt
    • Cairo University
    • Contact: Physical Therapy Cairo University; Phone Number: 0237617691; Email: Info@pt.cu.edu.eg

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• - Male and female diabetic patients (controlled type II diabetes mellitus) categorized as having a chronic diabetic foot ulcer.
• Patients with unilateral or bilateral grade II (full thickness) diabetic foot ulcers according to Wagner's classification for diabetic foot disease and lasting longer than four months.
• Their ages will range from 45 to 65 years
• All participants will provide informed consent form giving agreement to participation and publication of the results of the study.
• All patients will receive the same medical care for treatment of diabetic foot ulcer and not receiving any physical therapy modalities before the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• - Any pathological conditions or associated injuries affect the result of the study.
• Skin disease or any disease lead to ulcer other than diabetes as venous or arterial disease.
• Active malignancy and osteomyelitis associated with a diabetic foot ulcer.
• Any mental, cognitive and psychological impairment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group A: high tone external muscle stimulation; The study group will include 40 patients with diabetic foot ulcer receiving high tone external muscle stimulation three times a week for 8 weeks; in addition to Standard Medical Treatment: The Standard care of diabetic foot ulcers includes good glycemic control, adequate nutrition, off-loading (via bed rest or casts), local care (moist dressings and topical management), lessening of edema, surgical debridement of devitalized wound tissue and antibiotic therapy.	Device: high tone external muscle stimulation; Device HiToP®: Parameters of (HTEMS), Voltage: 230-V Pulse widths: ≤350 mA. Electrical Frequency: Frequencies continuously scanned from 4096 Hz to 31768 Hz, allowing for a much higher power of up to 5000 m W. Intensity: the electrical stimulation will be adjusted to a pleasant level that will not produce any pain or discomfortable paraesthesia, Duration 30 minutes per session. Electrodes will be placed around ulcer. It will be introduced 3 times per week, for 8 weeks Prior to intervention, skin sensation will be assessed using warm water in a test-tube (temperature), pin prick (pain) and cotton wool (light touch) to ascertain the skin sensitivity; Other: Standard medical treatment (SMT); The Standard care of diabetic foot ulcers includes good glycemic control, adequate nutrition, off-loading (via bed rest or casts), local care (moist dressings and topical management), lessening of edema, surgical debridement of devitalized wound tissue and antibiotic therapy.
Sham Comparator: Group B: Control; The control group will include 40 patients with diabetic foot ulcer receiving Standard Medical Treatment only. The Standard care of diabetic foot ulcers includes good glycemic control, adequate nutrition, off-loading (via bed rest or casts), local care (moist dressings and topical management), lessening of edema, surgical debridement of devitalized wound tissue and antibiotic therapy.	Other: Standard medical treatment (SMT); The Standard care of diabetic foot ulcers includes good glycemic control, adequate nutrition, off-loading (via bed rest or casts), local care (moist dressings and topical management), lessening of edema, surgical debridement of devitalized wound tissue and antibiotic therapy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Extent of wound (wound surface area)	The wound will be measured using Image J, open source digital imaging software developed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to measure wound area of the target wound, in mm2 (the largest foot wound if multiple wounds are present). Image J software has been used specifically for the measurement of diabetic foot ulcers with very high inter- and intra-rater reliability (p=0.997 and 0.999 respectively). The wound will be traced on acetate paper using a fine permanent marker for use in Image J and a standard distance photograph of the wound will be taken to document wound bed characteristics after physician debridement to healthy granulating tissue or healthy bleeding tissue is reached. A completely healed wound has complete epithelialization (William et al., 2017).	8 weeks
Direct measurement of volume (Depth of wound)	Direct measurement of volume using physiological saline: The wound will be covered with a sterile polyurethane film and then filled up with physiological saline injected using a needle that pierces the film. The quantity of saline corresponds to the wound volume. Wound volume measurements will be taken at baseline, after 4 weeks (midpoint) and after 8 weeks (HUMBERT et al., 2004).	8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cairo University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): November 15, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 15, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 17, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 28, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): October 29, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 29, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 28, 2024
• Last Verified: October 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Diabetic foot ulcer; High tone
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Endocrine System Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetic Angiopathies; Diabetes Complications; Skin Diseases; Skin Ulcer; Leg Ulcer; Diabetic Neuropathies; Foot Diseases; Ulcer; Diabetic Foot; Foot Ulcer
• Other Study ID Numbers: P.T.REC/012/005336

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No