Diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers and amputation

Abstract

A neuropathic foot ulcer is a severe complication of diabetes that can result in a more severe complication, a lower extremity amputation. We conducted a cohort study of 24,616 individuals with a diabetic neuropathic foot ulcer treated within a multicenter wound care network. A total of 1653 (6.7%) individuals had an amputation and 46.3% of these amputations were of a toe or ray (minor amputation). In the more than 10-year follow-up period that we studied, the percentage of those who had an amputation varied between 5.6% and 8.4%. Of those who had an amputation, the percentage that had a minor amputation increased over time from 4.0% in the earliest years to more than 60% in the later years of observation. The single most important determinant of amputation was the observation of fascia, tendon, and bone at the initial assessment. In conclusion, about 7% of those with a diabetic neuropathic foot ulcer will have an amputation and in the past 10 years there has been a remarkable increase in the number of minor as compared to major amputations.