Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Their Surgical Management: Our Experience at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar

Surgeons face a therapeutic challenge while treating diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), particularly in underdeveloped nations with limited healthcare resources and a high proportion of patients who arrive at medical institutions with advanced foot ulcers.

To assess the effectiveness of treatment in patients with DFUs and to demonstrate how early surgical intervention and appropriate bedside medical care can improve results.

This prospective study was carried out at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan, to assess how DFUs changed over a period between November 2021 and December 2022 at the wards and at the outpatient department of endocrinology and general surgery. A diabetic patient's foot is first screened for ulceration in the endocrinology department, and only those with active ulcers are referred to the surgical department.

According to the Wagner classification, there were six (13.6%) cases in grade I, 11 (25%) in grade 2, 10 (22.7%) in grade 3, 13 (29.5%) in grade 4, and four (9%) in grade 5. Among comorbidities, a family history of diabetes mellitus was noted in 25 (56.8%) patients, followed by tobacco chewing and alcohol in 10 (22.7%) and hypertension in nine (20.4%) patients.

Diabetes foot ulceration is the most common reason for non-traumatic lower limb amputation in people with diabetes mellitus and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.