Silver dressings for treating diabetic foot ulcers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

We performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of effectiveness of silver-based dressings for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU).

In the study, we searched electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Google Scholar internet. The study was carried out from inception to Sep 30, 2024, with English-language papers only being considered. We assessed eligible studies that comparing the effects of silver dressings with other dressings on wound healing in DFU. The primary outcomes included complete ulcer healing rate and healing time. The standard mean differences (SMDs) or the odds ratios (ORs) was calculated for continuous or dichotomous data, respectively.

In our study, twelve trials with 808 patients and 857 ulcers were included. The meta-analysis showed a high ulcer healing rate in the silver dressing group compared with the control group (OR = 1.92, 95 % CI 1.36 to 2.72, P = 0.06), and the ulcer healing time in the silver dressing group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (SMD = -2.08, 95 % CI -2.92 to -1.25 P < 0.00001, I² = 91 %).

silver dressing is effective in enhancing complete healing rate and shortening ulcer healing time in DFU, suggesting its potential as a superior adjunct in treatment of DFU. More high-quality and well-designed research is required in the future.