Associations Between Systolic Pressure, Vascular Waveform, and Volume Flow with Debridement or Amputation Treatment...

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Diabetology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Diabetic foot ulcers affect 6.3% globally, posing significant treatment challenges.
• Decisions on debridement vs. amputation have major cost, morbidity, and mortality implications.
• Effective vascular assessment is crucial for optimal diabetic foot ulcer management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify effective vascular examination modalities for guiding diabetic foot ulcer treatment.
• To correlate vascular parameters with debridement or amputation decisions.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 38 diabetic foot patients.
• Vascular assessments included systolic blood pressure, waveforms, and blood volume flow.
• Patients were divided into debridement and amputation groups.

Main Results:

• A biphasic pattern in popliteal artery ultrasound was significantly associated with amputation (p < 0.05).
• Biphasic ultrasound patterns predicted amputation, with thrice as many biphasic patients undergoing amputation.
• Systolic pressure and volume flow in common femoral and popliteal arteries did not correlate with treatment choice.

Conclusions:

• Popliteal artery vascular waveform assessment via ultrasound is a predictive factor for amputation or debridement.
• This non-invasive vascular assessment can aid in clinical decision-making for diabetic foot ulcers.