Akhtar S, Ahmad I, Khan AH, Khurram MF, et al.
Advances in skin & wound care. Date of publication 2015 Apr 1;volume 28(4):157-62.
1. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2015 Apr;28(4):157-62. doi:
10.1097/01.ASW.0000460889.44609.0c.
Modalities of soft-tissue coverage in diabetic foot ulcers.
Akhtar S(1), Ahmad I, Khan AH, Khurram MF.
Author information:
(1)Sohaib Akhtar, MD, MBBS, MS, MCh, is the Senior Resident; Imran Ahmad, MBBS,
MS, MCh, is an Associate Professor; A.H. Khan, MBBS, MS, MCh, is a Professor; and
M. Fahud Khurram, MBBS, MS, MCh, DNB, is an Assistant Professor, all at the
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Uttar Pradesh, India. The authors have
disclosed that they have no financial relationships related to this article.
Submitted December 6, 2013; accepted March 7, 2014.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to establish an algorithm for surgical
reconstruction of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study
MATERIALS AND METHODS: : In this series, 75 patients with diabetic foot
ulceration were treated at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College from October 2008
to August 2013, and were retrospectively reviewed. All patients in the study
underwent surgical reconstruction of the foot in the form of a skin graft, local
flaps, or free flaps, depending upon the characteristic of the defect, general
condition of the patient, and vascular status of the limb. The medical notes of
the patients were retrospectively analyzed according to age, gender,
ankle-brachial pressure index, and comorbidities.
RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients (37%) underwent skin grafting, 39 (52%) underwent
local pedicled flaps, and 8 (11%) underwent free flap transfers. Sixty-eight
patients (91%) achieved complete healing, and amputation of the lower extremity
could be avoided. With the exception of 1 patient who experienced ulcer
recurrence within the following year and 6 patients in whom amputation of the
lower extremity was performed, all patients healed completely. The mean hospital
stay was 4.0 ± 1 week.
CONCLUSIONS: From the results of this study, the authors conclude that radical
debridement and soft-tissue cover in the form of a skin graft/flap is an
effective method of managing DFUs.
DOI: 10.1097/01.ASW.0000460889.44609.0c
PMID: 25775199 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
