García GY, del Olmo PD, Zoe VI, Barnés DJA, Valdés PC

Language: Spanish
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ABSTRACT

Introduction: the first amputation in a diabetic patient is an event of great magnitude because of the disability, the high risk of re-amputation and of mortality.
Objective: to characterize the patients who suffer first lower limb amputation due to diabetic foot.
Methods: a descriptive study was conducted in hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of diabetic foot, who had undergone a first lower limb amputation at the diabetic angiopathy service of the National Institute of Angiology and Vascular Surgery in 2011.
Results: one hundred twenty three patients aged 66 years as average were identified. They have suffered the disease for more than 20 years, and most used any variant of insulin to achieve metabolic control. During their hospitalization, intensive insulin therapy was applied in 96.7 % of cases. Ischemic diabetic foot was the main cause (63 %) of first amputation and the minor amputations prevailed (56 %). Patients with ischemic diabetic foot underwent major amputations. Most of the patients needed emergency surgical procedures on admission to the hospital.
Conclusions: the patients who suffer first lower limb amputation due to diabetic foot make up a vulnerable group on account of their old age and long progression of the disease. The ischemic diabetic foot still causes a higher degree of amputations. The first amputations in the diabetic patient were performed as an emergency surgery in most cases.