Vinegar vs Normal Saline Dressing for Diabetic Foot Ulcers

January 19, 2026 updated by: Dr. MIAN MUHAMMAD BILAL, University of Health Sciences Lahore

A Randomized Clinical Trial to Compare the Efficacy of Vinegar Dressing Versus Normal Saline Dressing in the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

This study is investigating the effectiveness of two different types of wound dressings in treating diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), a common complication of diabetes that can be difficult to heal. The study will compare the use of vinegar dressings to normal saline (saltwater) dressings to see which one helps heal the wound faster and more effectively.

People with diabetic foot ulcers often struggle with infections and slow healing. The goal of this study is to determine if vinegar, a simple and affordable treatment, works better than saline in improving wound healing and reducing infections. The study will measure how quickly the wound heals, how much dead tissue is removed, and whether the bacteria in the wound disappear.

This study will involve patients with infected diabetic foot ulcers. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either vinegar or saline dressing. The results will help determine the best and most cost-effective treatment for diabetic foot ulcers, potentially making it easier for patients to access better care.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

84

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

  • Name: Dr. MIAN MUHAMMAD BILAL Principal Investigator
  • Phone Number: 03451110281
  • Email: drbilal279@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age: 20 to 65 years.
  • Gender: Both male and female participants are included.
  • Condition: Patients with Grade 3 and 4 infected diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) according to the Wagner classification.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Wagner Grades 1, 2, 5, and 6 diabetic foot ulcers.
  • History of Radiotherapy.
  • History of Chemotherapy.
  • Use of Steroids.
  • Use of Immunosuppressive drugs.
  • Allergy to vinegar.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Vinegar Dressing
Other: Vinegar Dressing
In this arm, participants will receive a dressing made by soaking gauze in a vinegar solution. The solution will be prepared by adding one tablespoon of plain white vinegar to a cup of normal saline. The gauze will be applied to the wound in a wet-to-dry manner, twice daily, until the wound is fully healed or cultured negative. The goal is to assess the effectiveness of vinegar in promoting wound healing, reducing infection, and removing necrotic tissue.
Active Comparator: Normal Saline Dressing
Other: Normal Saline Dressing
In this arm, participants will receive a dressing using normal saline (saltwater). The wound will be washed with normal saline and dressed in a wet-to-dry manner, twice daily, until the wound is fully healed or cultured negative. This arm will serve as the control group, with the goal of comparing the outcomes of saline dressing to vinegar dressing in terms of wound healing, bacterial infection reduction, and necrotic tissue removal.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rate of Negative Cultures
Time Frame: From enrollment to 8 weeks after treatment initiation

Definition: The proportion of participants whose wound cultures become negative (no bacterial growth) by the end of the treatment period (e.g., 3 weeks or 8 weeks).

Measurement: The swab cultures will be taken weekly, and the presence or absence of bacterial infection will be recorded until the wound is culture-negative.

Rationale: This outcome is crucial as it directly measures the effectiveness of vinegar dressing in reducing wound infection compared to normal saline dressing.
From enrollment to 8 weeks after treatment initiation

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Health Sciences Lahore

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

February 4, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 10, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 19, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 28, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 19, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Exp133

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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