Ms. Chen (middle), who has diabetic feet, managed to save her feet from amputation after years of treatment.

(Photo by reporter Xu Lijuan)

[Reporter Xu Lijuan/Kaohsiung Report] More than 2 million people in Taiwan have diabetes, and 22,000 people are hospitalized each year due to diabetic foot infection and necrosis. On average, 2 out of 10 diabetic feet face the fate of amputation. Small wounds may be accompanied by foot ulcers. A 66-year-old Ms. Chen suffered from deformed feet after capsizing and spraining her feet, causing long-term negative pressure on fixed parts when walking, causing neuropathy and cellulitis, and was on the verge of amputation. Fortunately, the senior medical team Rescue was able to keep both feet.

The Chung Ho Memorial Hospital affiliated to Kaohsiung Medical University is holding a publicity campaign on "Integrated Wound Care, "Foot" is Important" today (12th). Ms. Chen, who has diabetic foot, appeals to pay attention to any small wounds from her own experience. Ms. Chen said, I have a history of diabetes for more than 30 years. About 10 years ago, I sprained my ankle while climbing a mountain. After orthopedic surgery, my foot was deformed. But because I can walk, I don’t feel pain. Although there are wounds such as broken skin one after another, I don’t care about it until 7 years ago. Before going to the doctor for swelling and pain, I found out that I was infected with cellulitis, and my feet were almost amputated.

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Ms. Chen's left foot was sprained and deformed, resulting in long-term negative pressure on the outside of her foot when walking. Over time, the wound was caused but she did not seek medical attention immediately.

(Photo by reporter Xu Lijuan)

Guo Yaoren, director of the Department of Surgery of the Higher Medical Center, pointed out that Ms. Chen felt bad due to neuropathy, and she didn’t know that her lower limbs were blocked and necrotic. Therefore, when the wound appeared, she thought it was painless and didn’t care. She had a diabetic foot ulcer when she went to the doctor in September 2016. Due to wound recurrence, he was hospitalized several times and underwent wound debridement and skin grafting.

In 2021, due to poor blood circulation in the foot, Ms. Chen’s wound ulcer worsened to osteomyelitis. Cardiovascular physician Xu Bochao performed blood vessel dredging, and Director of Surgery Guo Yaoren arranged wound flap reconstruction surgery. , now her feet can walk and move freely.

High Medical Wound Care Center also provides laser therapy equipment, which can promote wound healing and relieve pain through red light and near-infrared light irradiation.

(Photo by reporter Xu Lijuan)

Huang Xuandi, the vice president of Gao Medical University, said that if a patient with diabetic foot undergoes a high foot amputation operation, the amputation rate of the other limb will be as high as 50% after 5 years, which will bring a heavy economic and medical burden to the society. Therefore, diabetic foot care is a common global health issue. .

Guo Yaoren is also the honorary chairman of the Taiwan Society of Wound Care. He said that according to the National Health Service, the current diabetes population in Taiwan has exceeded 2 million, and the prevalence rate is about 11%. More than 22,000 people are hospitalized due to diabetic foot infection every year, of which nearly 20% of diabetic foot amputations, especially those over the age of 65, are higher in men than in women, and about 15 to 25% are high amputations (above-knee or below-knee amputations). The severity cannot be ignored.

Li Xiaozhen, Director of Hyperbaric Oxygen and Wound Care Center of Gaoyi Medical, said that Gaoyi has 17,000 diabetic patients seeking medical treatment. In recent years, Gaoyi has specially established a "Wound Care Center" to open up a fast-track channel for wound care and limb protection clinics. Services such as rehabilitation, decompression and nutrition education have reduced the rate of high amputation from 0.3% 10 years ago to 0.09%, and the lower limb salvage rate of most patients has tripled.

Guo Yaoren reminded that diabetic patients should pay attention to whether there are wounds on the soles of the feet, toes, and seams of the feet, hypertrophy of cuticles, or bacterial infections when taking a bath. If you have a chronic wound, you must seek medical attention for a vascular assessment to see if there is poor blood circulation, or if you often experience numbness in your feet, which may be due to neuropathy or bone spurs in your feet, and you need to wear assistive devices.

It is recommended that when the skin of the feet is cyanotic and purple, or pale and cold, which means that the blood circulation is not good, you should go to the doctor as soon as possible.

Guo Yaoren, Director of Surgery of the Higher Medical Center, reminded that 2 out of 10 people with diabetic feet suffer from amputation, and they should seek medical attention if their feet are numb or have small wounds.

(Photo by reporter Xu Lijuan)

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keywords

• diabetes

• amputation

• cellulitis

• necrosis

• diabetic foot ulcer

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