Abstract
Objective: The effect of early revascularization on preventing amputation of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) patients is challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of early revascularization in ischemic severe DFU outcomes.
Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted on 30 patients with severe DFU (Wound Wagner grade 4 and 5), and peripheral artery disease referred to Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from April 2020 to March 2022. All patients underwent lower limb vascular surgery. Patients were examined for 20 months regarding wound healing, amputation, and death. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistic version 27.
Results: The present study included 30 patients (30 lower limbs). The mean time of patients’ follow-up to outcome was 12.56 (SD=4.36, 3-20) months. The mean wait time to revascularization was 8.90 (SD= 2.32, 6-15) weeks. Nine patients (30%) waited more than nine weeks for revascularization. Totally 14 patients (46.7%) healed without major amputation. A shorter time to revascularization (9 weeks and less) was significantly related to a higher probability of healing without major amputation over time (P value= 0.017).
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that shorter waiting time for vascular intervention in patients with severe DFU and ischemia is related to wound healing in patients without the need for major amputation. It seems necessary to conduct more studies about the time of vascular intervention in this group of patients.