Clinical Characteristics and Outcome in 223 Diabetic Patients with Deep Foot Infections

Clinical characteristics and outcome in 223 consecutive diabetic patients with deep foot infections are reported. Patients were treated by a multidisciplinary diabetic foot-care team at the University Hospital, Lund, Sweden, and were prospectively followed until healing or death. About 50% of patients lacked clinical signs of infection, such as a body temperature > 37.8 degrees C, a sedimentation rate > 70 mm/hour, and white blood cell count (WBC) > 10 x 10(9)/liter. Eighty-six percent had surgery before healing or death. Thirty-nine percent healed without amputation; 34% healed after a minor and 8% after a major amputation. Sixteen percent were unhealed at death, and 3% were unhealed at the end of the observation period. Of those unhealed at death or follow-up, 4 patients had had a major and 11 a minor amputation. After correction for age and sex, duration of diabetes 45 mmHg, and an ankle pressure > 80 mm Hg, absence of exposed bone and a white blood cell count < 12 x 10(9)/liter were all related to healing without amputation in a logistic regression analysis. We conclude that although only 1 in 10 had a major amputation, nearly all diabetic patients with a deep foot infection needed surgery and more than one third had a minor amputation before healing or death in spite of a well-functioning diabetic foot-care team responsible for all included patients.