Incidence and causes of major amputation in patients with diabetic foot ulcers: data from a retrospective study

The study aimed to evaluate the rate and causes of major amputation in patients with diabetic foot syndrome.

The current study is a retrospective observational study including consecutive patients referred to a tertiary-level diabetic foot service from January 2020 to November 2023 due to a new diabetic foot problem requiring hospital admission. All patients had been managed by a multi-disciplinary diabetic foot team (MDFT) through a pre-set limb salvage protocol including the management of peripheral arterial disease, infection, foot offloading, and comorbidities. At 1 year of follow-up, the following outcomes measures were evaluated: rate of major amputation, clinical characteristics of amputees, and causes of major amputation.

Overall, 1226 patients referring for a diabetic foot problem and requiring hospitalization were screened for the study. Among them, 30 (2.4%) patients experienced major amputation. Amputees had 69.9±10.7 years, the majority were male (73.3%) with a prevalence of type 2 diabetes (93.3%) and a long diabetes duration (25.2±9.8 years). They showed several comorbidities such as ischaemic heart disease (83.3%), heart failure (46.7%), end-stage-renal-disease (26.7%), and in addition high rate of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) (86.7%), infected wounds (98.3%), and osteomyelitis (90%). Major amputation was mainly related to untreatable limb ischemia (failure of revascularization procedure) in 56.7% of cases, calcaneus osteomyelitis and necrotizing fasciitis in 16.7% of cases, and tarsal osteomyelitis in 10% of cases.

The rate of major amputation was very low in this population managed by a MDFT. PAD was the main cause of major amputation.