What Researchers Did
Researchers evaluated the efficacy of intralesional epidermal growth factor (EGF-IL) application in 11 patients with 12 limb-threatening ischemic diabetic foot ulcers that had failed other treatments.
What They Found
Out of 12 limb-threatening diabetic foot lesions treated with EGF-IL, 10 lesions in 9 patients healed completely. This meant only 2 patients ultimately underwent amputation, suggesting EGF-IL can prevent amputations in advanced ischemic diabetic foot cases.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with severe ischemic diabetic foot ulcers unresponsive to standard care, intralesional EGF could potentially offer a new treatment option to prevent major amputations. However, its high cost and limited supporting literature suggest it would likely be considered only after other established therapies have failed.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted in Turkey and does not involve Canadian researchers or patients.
Study Limitations
Key limitations include the very small sample size, the lack of extensive supporting evidence in the literature, and the high cost of the treatment.