[Antibiotic treatment in patients amputated for ischemic diabetic foot]

Thirty diabetic patients submitted to a major amputation were tested by humo-celullar assays (retarded hypersensibility assays). Reactive patients were subdivided into two groups: one group was treated postoperatively with antibiotics, and the other group was not treated. Both groups were homogeneous in age, hemoglobin concentrations, hematocrit, total proteins, glucemy and history of sepsis or leukocytosis. Five patients treated with antibiotics (33.3%) presented sepsis, one patient was reamputated and one patient died. Between the not treated patients, only three presented sepsis (20%) without any other complications. Authors conclude that the development of sepsis in reactive, diabetic, amputated patients is independent of antibiotic treatment.