Predictors of Lower Extremity Amputation and Reamputation Associated With the Diabetic Foot

Abstract

In the present study, we aimed to identify the comorbidities that would be predictive of requiring lower extremity amputation or reamputation for diabetic foot wounds. We performed a retrospective review of 132 consecutive patients who had undergone lower extremity amputations (110 patients) or reamputations (22 patients) for diabetic wounds from January 2013 to March 2016. We used multivariate logistic regression to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for amputation and reamputation for various comorbidities. The ORs of undergoing amputation were greatest for adult males (OR 5.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.56 to 13.04; p = .05) and those with longer term diabetes (OR 4.22, 95% CI 2.01 to 12.95; p = .05), wound infection (OR 3.94, 95% CI 1.04 to 9.00; p = .05), diabetic neuropathy (OR 3.53, 95% CI 1.07 to 9.11; p = .05), and a positive history of smoking (OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.55 to 9.89; p = .05). Similarly, the ORs of undergoing reamputation were greatest for adult males (OR 4.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 12.08; p = .05) and those with longer term diabetes (OR 3.67, 95% CI 1.94 to 11.42; p = .05), wound infection (OR 3.12; 95% CI 0.9 to 8.32; p = .05), diabetic neuropathy (OR 3.01, 95% CI 0.92 to 8.54; p = .05), and a positive history of smoking (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.09 to 9.42; p = .05). The early identification of these comorbidities could help determine which patients are most likely to require amputation or reamputation.

Keywords: amputation; comorbidity; diabetes; predictor; reamputation; risk factor.