scholarly journals A study to assess anemia and hypoalbuminemia in diabetic patients with ulcers

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 2324
Author(s):  
Devaprashanth M. ◽  
B. S. Ramesh ◽  
Pushpa Satish Kumar

Background: Diabetic foot is a severe public health issue. Nutrition is important in the repair of soft tissue injuries and wound healing and specific nutrients have been shown to enhance wound healing. Anemia and hypoalbuminemia are among the commonly encountered deficiencies in patients. Early detection of nutritional deficiencies and their prompt treatment is imperative for the effective management of diabetic foot ulcers. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of anemia and hypoalbuminemia in diabetic foot patients presenting at our institution.Methods: Hemoglobin and albumin levels of 175 patients with diabetic foot were collected. Data was tabulated and analysed with descriptive statistics.Results: Hemoglobin varied from 6.5 g/dl to15 g/dl (10.5±2.3 g/dl). 116 (66.28%) patients had anemia. Among the 66 female patients, 43 (65.15%) had anemia. Among the 109 male patients, 73 (66.97%) had anemia. 11 of the 29 patients aged less than 40 had anemia (37.93%), while 105 of the 146 (71.91%) patients above 40 years had anemia. Albumin levels ranged from 1.6 g/dl to 5.4 g/dl (3.3±1.06 g/dl). 93 (53.14%) patients had hypoalbuminemia. 33 of the 66 female patients (50%) had hypoalbuminemia. 60 (55.04%) of the 109 male patients had hypoalbuminemia. 4 of the 29 (13.79%) patients below 40 years had hypoalbuminemia 89 of the 146 patients (60.9%) above 40 years had hypoalbuminemia.Conclusions: Anemia and hypoalbuminemia are common in patients with diabetic foot ulcers, with males being more commonly affected by both than females and older age group being more commonly affected than younger age group. 

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 3553
Author(s):  
Bharti Saraswat ◽  
Kapil Kumar Gill ◽  
Ashok Yadav ◽  
Krishan Kumar

Background: A number of scoring systems and classifications are available for diabetic foot ulcers with intention to compare the treatment modalities and future outcomes. Many of them are complex and don’t predict future outcome within the patients. Aim and objectives of current study were to establish a wound-based clinical scoring systems (DUSS) as daily clinical practice by assessing the efficacy of diabetic ulcer severity score.Methods: A total of 73 diabetic patients with foot ulcers were included in this prospective observational study conducted at Dr. S.N. Medical college, Jodhpur and attached hospitals from July 2018 to August 2020. Ulcers were assessed and DUSS score created. Patients were followed up for six months or until healing or amputation if either.Results: In this prospective study of 73 patients with diabetic foot ulcers, most common age group affected was between 51-70 years. Mean age group was 58.57±12.66 years. Mean duration of diabetes was 7.61±5.72 years. Most commonly ulcers were of DUSS score 2. Mean DUSS score was 1.97±1.15. Majority of diabetic foot ulcer patients (37 out of 51) with DUSS score 0, 1 and 2 healed by primary intention after wound debridement. Those with score 3 & 4 majority of them (20 out of 22) had amputation.Conclusions: This is a very simple scoring system that provides an easily accessible and a streamlined approach in the clinical setting without need of any advanced investigative equipment. Hence this can be applied in any set up.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Deakin Lees Brookes ◽  
Joseph Swaminadan Jaya ◽  
Henley Tran ◽  
Ashish Vaska ◽  
Keagan Werner-Gibbings ◽  
...  

Diabetic foot ulcers present across the spectrum of nonhealing wounds, be it acute or many months duration. There is developing literature highlighting that despite this group having high caloric intake, they often lack the micronutrients essential for wound healing. This study reports a retrospective cohort of patients’ micro- and macro-nutritional state and its relationship to amputation. A retrospective cohort was observed over a 2-month period at one of Australia’s largest tertiary referral centers for diabetic foot infection and vascular surgery. Patient information, duration of ulcer, various biochemical markers of nutrition and infection, and whether the patient required amputation were collected from scanned medical records. A cohort of 48 patients with a broad-spectrum of biochemical markers was established. Average hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was 8.6%. A total of 58.7% had vitamin C deficiency, including 30.4% with severe deficiency, average 22.6 Ł} 5.8 μmol/L; 61.5% had hypoalbuminemia, average albumin 28.7 Ł} 2.5 g/L. Average vitamin B12 was 294.6 Ł} 69.6 pmol/L; 57.9% had low vitamin D, average 46.3 Ł} 8.3 nmol/L. Basic screening scores for caloric intake failed to suggest this biochemical depletion. There was a 52.1% amputation rate; biochemical depletion was associated with risk of amputation with vitamin C ( P < .01), albumin ( P = .03), and hemoglobin ( P = .01), markedly lower in patients managed with amputation than those managed conservatively. There was no relation between duration of ulceration and nutrient depletion. Patients with diabetic foot ulceration rely on multidisciplinary care to optimize their wound healing. An important but often overlooked aspect of this is nutritional state, with micronutrients being very important for the healing of complex wounds. General nutritional screening often fails to identify patients at risk of micronutrient deficiency. There is a high prevalence of vitamin deficiency in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. This presents an excellent avenue for future research to assess if aggressive nutrient replacement can improve outcomes in this cohort of patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raedeh Basiri ◽  
Maria Spicer ◽  
Bahram Arjmandi

Abstract Objectives This study examined the effects of high protein dietary supplementation and nutrition education on the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. Methods Twenty-nine adults with diabetic foot ulcers were recruited from the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Wound Care Clinic. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment (n = 15) or control (n = 14) group. The treatment group received two carbohydrate controlled high protein shakes to consume daily, and was educated regarding adequate intake of low-fat protein sources, fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates and minimizing simple carbohydrates. The control group did not receive any intervention. Daily supplementation provided a total of 500 kilocalories, 28 grams of high-quality protein, and approximately 50% of micronutrient requirements. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, BMI) and wound planimetry were examined at baseline and every four weeks until the wound healed or up to 12 weeks. Results There was no significant difference between the groups at baseline for BMI (mean = 33.8 ± 7 kg/m2), age (mean = 53.34 ± 11.14 years), duration of diabetes (mean = 13 years), duration of wounds (mean 10.8 months) or wound area (mean = 450 mm2). Wound healing rate (decrease in the area of the wound/week) for the treatment group was three times faster than the control group (151.1 mm2/week vs. 45.2 mm2/week respectively). Conclusions Improved nutritional intake using nutritional supplementation and patient education has a strong positive effect on the wound healing rate of diabetic foot ulcers. Faster wound healing improves quality of life and functionality of patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Funding Sources Dissertation award.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1938
Author(s):  
Pallela Narayana Someshwara Rao ◽  
Anil Vince Vincent

Background: Foot infection is one of the commonest reasons for hospital admission of individuals with diabetes in India. Prescription footwear is an intricate aspect of a treatment program, not a therapy unto itself. Custom-made footwear can only be effective in preventing diabetic foot ulcers if worn by the patient as advised. This study was done in patients who are already prescribed customised footwear and evaluated the need for compliance based on the healing of these plantar foot ulcers.Methods: 85 diabetic patients with severe neuropathy and a non-healing callus ulcer or trophic ulcer (diameter 1-3 cm) for more than 3 months were included in the study. All these patients were followed up on weekly basis for 3 months and questioned about the use of customized footwear on regular basis. At the end of three months, the healing of these foot ulcers was compared based on whether they had been compliant with the customized footwear advice.Results: Of the 85 patients, 25 (29.4%) had shown improvement in wound healing with regular use of footwear. 60 (70.5%) patients who were not using the customized footwear had not shown any improvement in the plantar ulcers. The reasons for not using the recommended footwear were many commonest being wearing footwear only when going out and not inside the home.Conclusions: Non-compliance with customised footwear is emerging as an important cause of delay in wound healing of plantar foot ulcers.


Author(s):  
Marta García-Madrid ◽  
Irene Sanz-Corbalán ◽  
Aroa Tardáguila-García ◽  
Raúl J. Molines-Barroso ◽  
Mateo López-Moral ◽  
...  

Punch grafting is an alternative treatment to enhance wound healing which has been associated with promising clinical outcomes in various leg and foot wound types. We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of punch grafting as a treatment for hard-to-heal diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). Six patients with chronic neuropathic or neuroischemic DFUs with more than 6 months of evolution not responding to conventional treatment were included in a prospective case series between May 2017 and December 2020. All patients were previously debrided using an ultrasound-assisted wound debridement and then, grafted with 4 to 6 mm punch from the donor site that was in all cases the anterolateral aspect of the thigh. All patients were followed up weekly until wound healing. Four (66.7%) DFUs were located in the heel, 1 (16.7%) in the dorsal aspect of the foot and 1 (16.7%) in the Achilles tendon. The median evolution time was 172 (interquartile range [IQR], 25th-75th; 44-276) weeks with a median area of 5.9 (IQR; 1.87-37.12) cm2 before grafting. Complete epithelization was achieved in 3 (50%) patients at 12 weeks follow-up period with a mean time of 5.67 ± 2.88 weeks. Two of the remaining patients achieved wound healing at 32 and 24 weeks, respectively, and 1 patient showed punch graft unsuccessful in adhering. The median time of wound healing of all patients included in the study was 9.00 (IQR; 4.00-28.00) weeks. The wound area reduction (WAR) at 4 weeks was 38.66% and WAR at 12 weeks was 88.56%. No adverse effects related to the ulcer were registered through the follow-up period. Autologous punch graft is an easy procedure that promotes healing, achieving wound closure in chronic DFUs representing an alternative of treatment for hard-to-heal DFUs in which conservative treatment has been unsuccessful.


Author(s):  
Ioanna A. Anastasiou ◽  
Ioanna Eleftheriadou ◽  
Anastasios Tentolouris ◽  
Georgia Samakidou ◽  
Nikolaos Papanas ◽  
...  

Diabetic foot ulcers are one of the most dreadful complications of diabetes mellitus and efforts to accelerate diabetic wound healing are of paramount importance to prevent ulcer infections and subsequent lower-limb amputations. There are several treatment approaches for the management of diabetic foot ulcers and honey seems to be a safe and cost-effective therapeutic approach on top of standard of care. The aim of this review was to summarize the therapeutic properties of honey and the data regarding its possible favorable effects on diabetic wound healing. A literature search of articles from 1986 until April 2021 was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library to assess for studies examining the therapeutic wound healing properties of honey, it's in vitro effect, and the efficacy and/or mechanism of action of several types of honey used for the treatment of diabetic animal wounds. Honey has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties and in vitro studies of keratinocytes and fibroblasts, as well as studies in diabetic animal models show that treatment with honey is associated with increased re-epithelialization and collagen production, higher wound contraction, and faster wound healing. The use of honey could be a promising approach for the management of diabetic foot ulcers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 371
Author(s):  
Kor H. Hutting ◽  
Wouter B. aan de Stegge ◽  
Jaap J. van Netten ◽  
Wouter A. ten Cate ◽  
Luuk Smeets ◽  
...  

Diabetic foot ulcers, complicated by osteomyelitis, can be treated by surgical resection, dead space filling with gentamicin-loaded calcium sulphate-hydroxyapatite (CaS-HA) biocomposite, and closure of soft tissues and skin. To assess the feasibility of this treatment regimen, we conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients after failed conventional treatments. From 13 hospitals we included 64 patients with forefoot (n = 41 (64%)), midfoot (n = 14 (22%)), or hindfoot (n = 9 (14%)) ulcers complicated by osteomyelitis. Median follow-up was 43 (interquartile range, 20–61) weeks. We observed wound healing in 54 patients (84%) and treatment success (wound healing without ulcer recurrence) in 42 patients (66%). Treatment failures (no wound healing or ulcer recurrence) led to minor amputations in four patients (6%) and major amputations in seven patients (11%). Factors associated with treatment failures in univariable Cox regression analysis were gentamicin-resistant osteomyelitis (hazard ratio (HR), 3.847; 95%-confidence interval (CI), 1.065–13.899), hindfoot ulcers (HR, 3.624; 95%-CI, 1.187–11.060) and surgical procedures with gentamicin-loaded CaS-HA biocomposite that involved minor amputations (HR, 3.965; 95%-CI, 1.608–9.777). In this study of patients with diabetic foot ulcers, complicated by osteomyelitis, surgical treatment with gentamicin-loaded CaS-HA biocomposite was feasible and successful in 66% of patients. A prospective trial of this treatment regimen, based on a uniform treatment protocol, is required.


2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodora Chiţă ◽  
Delia Muntean ◽  
Luminiţa Badiţoiu ◽  
Bogdan Timar ◽  
Roxana Moldovan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and aims: Infected foot ulcer is one of the most feared complications of diabetes mellitus. Staphylococcus aureus is the most frequently isolated pathogen in diabetic foot infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of S. aureus strains involved in producing foot infections in diabetic patients and the antibiotic resistance pattern of these strains. Material and methods: The study included 33 S. aureus strains isolated from 55 diabetic foot ulcers. The subjects were selected from the 2465 patients with diabetes mellitus hospitalized in the Timişoara Diabetes Clinic, between 2011 and 2013. Germs’ identification relied on cultural and biochemical characteristics. Final identification and antimicrobial testing were performed using the Vitek 2 (Bio Merieux France) automatic analyzer. Results: All the 55 samples collected from diabetic foot ulcers were positive. We isolated 64 bacterial strains (some samples were positive for 2 microorganisms). The most frequently isolated germ was S. aureus, in 33 samples (51.56%). All these S. aureus strains showed resistance to benzylpenicillin, while only 33.33% were methicillin-resistant (MRSA). Conclusions: The most frequently isolated germ in the wound secretions from diabetic foot ulcers was S. aureus. The highest percentage of antimicrobial resistance was recorded to benzylpenicillin and erythromycin.


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