New government research  shows a dramatic decline in the rate of foot and leg amputations in diabetic patients.  This is likely secondary to better treatments. 

The rate has fallen by more than half since the mid-1990s.  The Center for Disease Control reported in January 2012 that for older diabetics, amputations dropped from more than 11 to about 4 per 1,000 people.

Roughly 1 in 10 adults in the US is diabetic.  Diabetes is also the 7th leading cause of death among Americans.  Complications include poor circulation, nerve damage, slow healing wounds, infection and amputation.

In the CDC study, researchers checked national hospital discharge records for 1988-2008, looking for patients aged 40 and older who had lost a toe, foot or leg to diabetes.  They found that although the number of people with diabetes more than tripled over 2 decades, the rate of amputations after 1996 fell.

It's not clear what started the drop in amputation rate, but experts state that contributing factors include close monitoring, annual diabetic foot exams, an increase in patient education, Medicare coverage of blood sugar monitoring, protective shoes, and other medical devices.

To read more please click on the link below:

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/25/cdc-diabetes-amputations-falling-dramatically/#ixzz1kx58Rs8X

 

Tags: wound, diabetes, CDC, amputation

Drs. Trang, Fassman and Tsombaris are wound specialists certified by the American Board of Wound Management. 

They use Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) for hospital, office and Elmer Wound Care Centers patients.

Negative pressure (a vaccum), expedites wound healing by drawing the wound edges together, removing infectious material and promoting granulation tissue.

Wound V.A.C.^® (Vacuum Assisted Closure^®) is a type of NPWT which is indicated for patients with chronic, acute, traumatic, subacute and dehisced wounds, partial-thickness burns, ulcers (such as diabetic, pressure or venous insufficiency),flaps and grafts.

For more information, please visit the website below:

www.kci1.com

 

 

Tags: Certified Wound Specialist, American Board of Wound Management, Elmer Wound Care Center, wound, Vacuum Assisted Closure, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy, Wound V.A.C., NPWT

You may have heard  about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).  But what it is exactly and how do we use this in our podiatric practice?

During HBOT, a patient breathes 100% Oxygen at 2 to 3 times atmospheric pressure.  This increases the oxygen uptake in the blood.  The oxygenated blood is transported throughout the body to supply ischemic or diseased tissues. 

A patient generally undergoes 30-60 treatments.  Treatments must be on consecutive days (ie. Monday through Friday).

In our practice, we recommend HBOT for patients who are suffering from non-healing wounds, necrotizing soft tissue infections, bone infection and compromised skin grafts and flaps.

Other indications for HBOT include:

• Thermal burns
• Exceptional Anemia
• Decompression sickness & Air embolism
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Crush injury/compartment syndrome
• Delayed radiation injury

Contraindications include:

• Untreated Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
• Pregnancy
• Congenital spherocytosis
• Certain medications: Bleomycin, Cisplatin, Disulfiram, Doxorubicin, Sulfamylon

Drs. Trang, Fassman and Tsombaris are Certified Wound Specialists affiliated with the Elmer Wound Care Center.

hyperbaricanswers.com

 

 

 

Tags: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, HBOT, wound care, Elmer Wound Care Center, Bone infection, wound