Conservative treatment of diabetic foot infections

Abstract

Foot infections commonly occur in diabetic patients, constituting a serious problem. 15% of diabetics have foot infections during their life-time. In previous years these life-threatening infections in 50-70% of patients resulted in limb amputation. Today, using an aggressive surgical approach, broad spectrum antimicrobial chemotherapy and intensive regulation of blood glucose level, the am amputation rate has decreased to 5%. During last 2 years, we evaluated 13 diabetic foot infections. 6 of the presented cases were grade 4 and 5, 3 of them were grade 3 and 4 of them grade 2. All of the patients were managed by multidisciplinary approach consisting of plastic and reconstructive surgery, endocrinology and infectious diseases specialists. All of the patients were monitored with daily wound care, regulation of blood glucose levels and administration of broad spectrum antibiotics. Only one of them required amputation. For 12 of the cases after the infection was controlled, the defects were reconstructed by plastic surgical procedures. We retrospectively analyzed them to review diabetic foot infections and factors affecting prognosis.