Evaluation of Surgical Interventions in Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcer and Infection Assessed in the Chronic Wound Council Between 2016-2017.

Objective: Diabetes mellitus is a common health issue with an increasingly rampant incidence all over the world. Diabetic foot ulcers raise morbidity, reduce the quality of life, prolong hospital stay, and cause a high rate of lower extremity amputation. Our aim in this study is to evaluate the patients presented to the hospital with the diabetic foot diagnosis. Methods: 147 diabetic foot patients were evaluated retrospectively in the chronic wound council between 2016--2017 at our hospital. Wagner was used for wound classification, whereas Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) was for infection classification. Results: Evaluating the cases according to the Wagner classification, 1 patient was observed to be on stage 1, 19 were on stage 2, 58 were on stage 3, 58 were on stage 4, 11 were on stage 5. Patients on stage 3 and above accounted for 86.4% of all cases. 66 patients (45%) underwent minor amputation, whereas 18 (21%) were below-knee amputation and 2 (1%) were above-knee amputation. 44 patients recovered with debridement and wound care. Conclusion: Lower extremity ulcers and infections in diabetic patients are one of the most common causes of hospitalization and non-traumatic amputation in diabetic patients. The amputation rate, which was determined as 58.5% in our study, is higher compared to similar studies. We consider that this is due to patients who presented late, who had higher grades of Wagner wound stages, who had osteomyelitis, who had vascular problems and were referred to our center for decision of amputation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]