• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to present the clinical significance of rectus abdominis free muscle flap for large sized diabetic ulcer and necrosis of the foot to salvage limb. From June 2000 to February 2006, eleven patients were included in our study. There were seven males and four females with a mean age of 58.3 years (48~65) at the surgery. All had a history of diabetics and subsequent huge soft tissue defect caused by necrotizing abscess formation around the foot and the ankle. After complete debridement of large sized, infected necrotic tissue, susceptible intravenous antibiotics and wound care were done. After control of infection, confirmed by clinical and laboratory findings, the rectus abdominis free muscle flap was applied to cover remained large soft tissue defect and to prevent the recurrence of infection. All flaps survived and it provided satisfactory coverage for the soft tissue defect on the foot and the ankle area for a mean of 41.1 months (24~85) follow up period. All except of one patients did not have any recurrence of infection on the operation site and could salvage their limbs. The rectus abdominis free muscle flap could be recommended for large sized soft tissue defect after necrotizing abscess in diabetic foot to salvage major limb.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.250-254
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• 2006

Purpose: The treatment of diabetic foot ulcers with total contact cast has been reported to be associated with numerous undesirable complications. This study shows that our technique of total contact casting that incorporates high concentration silver coated foam dressing. Materials and Methods: Forty-four diabetic foot ulcers were treated with total contact cast along with high concentration silver coated foam dressing. Complication and healing rates were evaluated. Results: Eighty five percent of the ulcers healed within 6 weeks with an overall complication rate of 7%. There were only two cases (5%) of infection and no recurrent ulceration and no another site new pressure ulcer in our study. Conclusion: Total contact casting incorporates high concentration silver coated foam dressing resulted in fewer complications rate and healing rate that is comparable to other studies.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.251-256
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• 2013

Neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes. It is characterized by a progressive loss of peripheral nerve fibers. The development of the neuropathy is linked to poor glycemic control, age, and the duration of diabetes. Peripheral sensory polyneuropathy is the most common type in neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy is the most significant etiologic factor of the foot ulcer that may leads to amputation. Current treatments in diabetic neuropathy have no definitive effects on repair or reverse the damaged nerve but only to relieve of symptoms, especially on pain. When the focal compressive neuropathy is combined with diabetic neuropathy, the nerve would be more vulnerable and symptoms might get worse. Surgery is indicated for decompression of an entrapped nerve, like posterior tibial nerve in tarsal tunnel, after failure of the initial conservative treatments.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.560-570
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of diabetic foot care education for the older adults with low health literacy. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest was used. The participants who were diagnosed with diabetes, were adults over 65 years old at the welfare center of Y and B city. They were divided into the experimental group (n=32) and the control group (n=31). Inclusion criteria were a score of 5 or under on the Short form of Korean Functional Health Literacy Test and 24 or more on the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination. Foot care education was conducted in a small group for 40 minutes, once a week, for three weeks. The education materials are composed of an easy term, picture and photographs to understand easily. Results: The scores of diabetic foot care knowledge (t=4.57, p<.001), foot care self-efficacy (t=6.07, p<.001), and foot self-care behavior (t=4.18, p<.001) were significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group. Foot health status was not significantly improved. Conclusion: The findings indicate that this education program can be used as a nursing intervention improving foot care knowledge, foot care self-efficacy, and foot self-care behavior in order to prevent the diabetic foot problems of elderly diabetic persons with low health literacy.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.335-342
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• 2023

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are among the most serious complications of diabetes and are a source of reduced quality of life and financial burden for the people involved. For effective DFU management, an evidence-based treatment strategy that considers the patient's clinical context and wound condition is required. This treatment strategy should include conventional practices (surgical debridement, antibiotics, vascular assessment, offloading, and amputation) coordinated by interdisciplinary DFU experts. In addition, several adjuvant therapies can be considered for nonhealing wounds. In this narrative review, we aim to highlight the current trends in DFU management and review the up-to-date guidelines.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.208-211
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• 2019

Diabetic foot ulcers can progress to the point where amputation is needed, and so these ulcers require active treatment. Skin grafts or flaps can be performed for coverage of this type of ulcer. Local flap surgery is relatively easy to perform and good results have been previously reported. We performed single-lobed rotation flap on 5 cases of forefoot ulcer around the site of weight bearing. The location of the foot ulcers was the medial part of the first metatarsophalangeal joint in all the patients. The mean size of the defect was 4.70 ㎠. Managing of ulcers, controlling of diabetes and infection, and improving of peripheral blood flow were performed before surgery. In two cases, infection progressed to the articular cartilage and so metatarsophalangeal joint fusions were performed simultaneously. All the cases were completely transplanted. There was no recurrence of the ulcers, and all the patients were able to walk.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.280-293
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the risk factors for diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) to develop and evaluate the performance of a DFU prediction model and nomogram among people with diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: This unmatched case-control study was conducted with 379 adult patients (118 patients with DM and 261 controls) from four general hospitals in South Korea. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, foot examination, and review of patients' electronic health records. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to build the DFU prediction model and nomogram. Further, their performance was analyzed using the Lemeshow-Hosmer test, concordance statistic (C-statistic), and sensitivity/specificity analyses in training and test samples. Results: The prediction model was based on risk factors including previous foot ulcer or amputation, peripheral vascular disease, peripheral neuropathy, current smoking, and chronic kidney disease. The calibration of the DFU nomogram was appropriate (χ² = 5.85, p = .321). The C-statistic of the DFU nomogram was .95 (95% confidence interval .93~.97) for both the training and test samples. For clinical usefulness, the sensitivity and specificity obtained were 88.5% and 85.7%, respectively at 110 points in the training sample. The performance of the nomogram was better in male patients or those having DM for more than 10 years. Conclusion: The nomogram of the DFU prediction model shows good performance, and is thereby recommended for monitoring the risk of DFU and preventing the occurrence of DFU in people with DM.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.78-86
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• 2016

Purpose: Diabetic foot ulcers are significant problems in diabetes mellitus and often result in lower extremity amputation. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a self-care management program on Korean patient's self-efficacy, self-care behavior, size of the wound, and wound related pain. Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study of pre-test and post-test design in a non-equivalent control group. The intervention strategies of the self-care management program consisted of individual intervention (education, practice and demonstration), computer animation, and face-to-face counseling. There were thirty seven patients, and 20 were assigned to the experimental group while the other 17 were assigned to the control group. The experimental group was given a self-care management program. The control group received information on diabetic mellitus care by means of a leaflet. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, a chi-square test, an independent t-test, and a Mann-Whitney test. Results: There were significant differences in self-care behavior and wound related pain. Conclusion: A Self-care program is an effective way to increase patient's self-care ability. This program is highly applicable to diabetic foot ulcer patients in various settings.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.346-350
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• 2010

Purpose: Diagnosis of diabetic foot infection is sometimes difficult, since the classical inflammatory signs and leukocytosis may be absent due to the decreased host immune response in diabetics. Therefore inflammatory blood markers, such as white blood cell (WBC) count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been commonly needed to confirm the diagnosis of infection. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of WBC, ESR and CRP for detection of diabetic foot infection. Methods: Peripheral blood samples were taken from 113 patients with diabetic foot ulcers admitted from June 2007 to April 2009. Diabetic foot infection was diagnosed according to the microbiological culture from soft tissue and bone specimens. Reference values of tests were 4500-11000 /${\mu}L$ for WBC count, 0-20 mm/hr for ESR, and 0-5 mg/L for $CRP^{13,14}$. Sensitivities, specificities, positive and negative predictive values of laboratory tests were calculated and analysed. Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve was also created. Results: There was a significant difference in WBC, ESR, and CRP between infectious group and noninfectious group (p<0.05). The sensitivity of WBC>11,000 /${\mu}L$ ESR > 20 mm/hr, and CRP > 5 mg/L was 30%, 96%, and 84%. The specificity was 86%, 14%, and 50% for WBC, ESR, and CRP, respectively. Positive predictive value was 88%, 78%, and 84%, and negative predictive value was 28%, 50%, and 50% respectively. The areas under the ROC curve for WBC, ESR and CRP were 0.72, 0.75, and 0.78 respectively. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, we conclude that CRP is more useful method in predicting and diagnosing infection than WBC, ESR in diabetic foot ulcer patients.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.14-23
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• 2016

Objectives : One of major complications of diabetes, diabetic ulcer is also one of the main reasons for amputation, and the prevalence rate is 4-10%. Laser therapy is widely used for leg ulcer and diabetic ulcer, and it is known to improve wound epithelialization, cellular content, and collagen deposition. The purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of the laser and the spectrum of laser instruments for diabetic ulcer. Methods : We performed literature search using the PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL and Web of science for the data in English. In addition, other databases were checked for different languages such as OASIS and NDSL for the literature in Korean, CNKI in Chinese, and CiNii and J-STAGE written in Japanese. We excluded all review article and experimental studies, and only clinical studies using laser or light emitting diode (LED) for diabetic ulcer were selected. Results : A total twenty papers were selected. Different light sources were used as follows: LED, HeNe, InGaAlP, GaAlAs, GaAs, CO2, and KTP. The number of LED studies was 9, and HeNe laser was 7, and InGaAlP and GaAlAs laser was 2, GaAs, CO2, and KTP laser was 1 for each. Various energy density of the clinical study were reported. Conclusions : It is suggested that to select appropriate laser type and give the adequate output power to treat diabetic ulcer. Further evaluation and research for the condition of laser therapy to treat diabetic ulcers are warranted.