Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Inclusion criteria for the study design were not specified.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of G-CSF were eligible for inclusion. The included studies compared G-CSF plus standard care with standard care alone. The G-CSF used was filgrastim 5 microg/kg per day for 7 or 10 days or lenograstim 263 microg/day for 21 days. Standard care consisted of antibiotics with or without soft tissue and bone debridement and wound cleaning.
Participants included in the review
Studies of non-neutropenic patients with diabetic foot infections were eligible for inclusion. The included studies were conducted in patients with cellulitis, severe limb-threatening foot infections and pedal cellulitis or Wagner's grade 2 foot lesion.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Inclusion criteria for the outcomes were not specified. The included studies assessed a variety of outcomes: time to resolution of cellulitis, eradication of bacterial pathogens, intravenous antibiotic requirements, duration of hospital stay, clinical improvement, clinical response (time to resolution of infection and hospital discharge), amputations, need for surgical intervention and adverse effects.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors did not state how the studies were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.