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- Author or Editor: Matteo Monami x
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Background: We assessed the tolerability and efficacy of autologous skin cell grafts in older type 2 diabetic patients with chronic foot ulcers.
Methods: Treatment with Hyalograft 3D and Laserskin Autograft was proposed to a consecutive series of type 2 diabetic patients older than 65 years affected by long-standing (>6 months) foot ulcers with an area greater than 15 cm2. Ulcer healing rates and measurements of ulcer area were determined monthly for 12 months.
Results: Seven patients with 12 ulcers, nine of which received the described treatment, were enrolled. During 12-month follow-up, all of the ulcers healed except one. In the remaining eight ulcers, the median healing time was 21 weeks (interquartile range, 4–29 weeks).
Conclusions: Autologous skin cell grafts are feasible, well tolerated, and apparently effective in the treatment of diabetic ulcers of the lower limbs in advanced age. Age did not seem to moderate healing times. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 101(1): 55–58, 2011)
The Diabetic Person Beyond a Foot Ulcer
Healing, Recurrence, and Depressive Symptoms
Background: Several studies have shown a significant relationship between depressive symptoms and wound healing, but these studies have not assessed the effects of depressive symptoms on diabetic foot prognosis. We specifically designed our study to assess the role of depressive symptoms in healing and recurrence of diabetic foot ulcers.
Methods: A consecutive series of 80 type 2 diabetic patients aged 60 years and older with foot ulcers was enrolled in a cohort observational study with a 6-month follow-up. Patients who healed within 6 months of enrollment were included in a 12-month follow-up study for assessment of ulcer recurrence. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the geriatric depression scale.
Results: Healing was associated with a smaller ulcer area, shorter delay between ulcer onset and treatment, lower glycosylated hemoglobin, and higher ankle-brachial index. Both smoking status and Texas and Wagner scores also had a significant impact on healing. Patients who healed had significantly lower scores on the geriatric depression scale, and those with scores = 10 had a significantly higher risk of not healing at 6 months (relative risk, 3.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–12.2). Patients with a recurrent ulcer (59.3%) showed significantly higher total cholesterol levels, higher scores on the Greenfield index of disease severity and geriatric depression scale, and a higher prevalence of cerebrovascular disease. Depressive symptoms maintained a significant association with persistence and recurrence of ulcer even after adjustment for confounders.
Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are associated with impaired healing and recurrence of ulcers in elderly type 2 diabetic patients. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 98(2): 130–136, 2008)
Background:
The increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics and the frequency of comorbid conditions of patients make the treatment of diabetic foot infections problematic. In this context, photodynamic therapy could be a useful tool to treat infected wounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of repeated applications of a phthalocyanine derivative (RLP068) on the bacterial load and on the healing process.
Methods:
The present analysis was performed on patients with clinically infected ulcers who had been treated with RLP068. A sample for microbiological culture was collected at the first visit before and immediately after the application of RLP068 on the ulcer surface, and the area was illuminated for 8 minutes with a red light. The whole procedure was repeated three times per week at two centers (Florence and Arezzo, Italy) (sample A), and two times per week at the third center (Stuttgart, Germany) (sample B) for 2 weeks.
Results:
Sample A and sample B were composed of 55 and nine patients, respectively. In sample A, bacterial load decreased significantly after a single treatment, and the benefit persisted for 2 weeks. Similar effects of the first treatment were observed in sample B. In both samples, the ulcer area showed a significant reduction during follow-up, even in patients with ulcers infected with gram-negative germs or with exposed bone.
Conclusions:
RLP068 seems to be a promising topical wound management procedure for the treatment of infected diabetic foot ulcers.
