Could a vacuum cleaner save diabetic feet from amputation?
NCT ID NCT06721754
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether negative pressure wound therapy (a vacuum device) works better than standard wound care for diabetic foot ulcers. Fifty adults with diabetic foot ulcers needing surgery will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. Researchers will track amputations, wound healing, and complications over one year.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Negative pressure wound therapy (a vacuum device that helps wounds heal)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a better way to treat diabetic foot ulcers and reduce the need for major amputations.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 50 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The therapy may not prove better than standard care.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Male and non-pregnant female above 18 years with a diabetic foot ulcer in need of surgical debridement or forefoot amputation Exclusion Criteria: * Previous leg amputation due to diabetes * Unable to ambulate on feet * Unlikely to adhere to treatment and/or follow-up * Unable to complete questionnaire * Active or ongoing cancer treatment * In need of amputation at a higher level than metatarsal or more than two metatarsals
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akershus University Hospital
RECRUITINGOslo, Nordbyhagen, 1478, Norway
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Ostfold Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGGrålum, 1714, Norway
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Gene therapy shots aim to save legs from amputation in diabetes
- New wound dressing put to the test against diabetic foot ulcers
- Silver and sound: can ultrasound push nanoparticles into diabetic wounds?
- Zapping a leg nerve: can a wearable device help stubborn ulcers heal?
- Wound dressings that trap microbes: scientists test a Drug-Free approach
- Can a traditional herbal mix save limbs from diabetic ulcers?