Correspondence
Treat Foot Ulcers Conservatively
When discussing the possible causes for the decrease in the rate of major amputations, Kröger et al. (1) pointed out the protective effect of podological treatment. And quite rightly so, as a recent study from the US confirms (2).
Regarding minor amputations, it needs to be mentioned that many such amputations are undertaken only because osteomyelitis has been detected, although amputation would not have been necessary. In my experience, many foot ulcers with osteomyelitis can successfully be treated conservatively and made to heal by using appropriate therapies (pressure relief and, if needed, antibiotic therapy and revascularization).
DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2017.0399a
Dr. med. Dipl. oec. troph. Tony Tanudjaja
Diabetologische Schwerpunktpraxis,
Fußambulanz, Hausärztliche Versorgung, Düsseldorf
ttanudjaja@gmx.de
Conflict of interest statement
The author declares that no conflict of interest exists.
| 1. | Kröger K, Berg C, Santosa F, Malyar N, Reinecke H: Lower limb amputation in Germany—an analysis of data from the German Federal Statistical Office between 2005 and 2014. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2017; 114: 130–6 VOLLTEXT |
| 2. | Schmidt BM, Wrobel JS, Munson M, Rothenberg G, Holmes CM: Podiatry impact on high-low amputation ratio characteristics: a 16-year retrospective study. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2017; 126: 272–7 CrossRef MEDLINE |
