loading… A number of studies have reported the rates and predictors for healing patients who present with a diabetic foot ulcer; combinations of infected and uninfected ulcers. Recently we summarised an Australian study that reported for the first time the rates and predictors of developing an infection in patients who present with an uninfected diabetic…

loading… A new Australian study from one of DFA’s favourite sons Dr Mal Fernando has completed his PhD that investigated the gait and plantar pressures of people with diabetic foot ulcers. We have showcased some of Mal’s previous studies on gait characteristics and plantar pressures right here. Unlike his previous baseline studies, in this study…

loading… Since the 1950s, when Dr Paul Brand observed that feet “heat up before they break down” into ulceration, we have known that temperature may be a marker for detecting impending foot ulceration. In the 2000s, a number of large trials from Profs Larry Lavery and David Armstrong proved that home-monitoring of increasing temperature was…

loading… An enormous number of studies have investigated the risk factors for amputations in people with diabetes. Most risk factors found can be bundled into four groups, factors relating to: i) socio-demographic background (such as age or sex), ii) medical history (such as kidney disease or hyperglycaemia), iii) foot complications (such as peripheral arterial disease…

loading… Clinicians treating foot ulcers are regularly faced with the decision of what to use on the wound if it has delayed healing. Recently, this decision has become more challenging with our new understandings on biofilm that further delays healing and promotes infection. These understandings have led to the development of new antimicrobial wound solutions…

loading… A number of previous studies have shown that indigenous Australians seem to have higher rates of diabetic foot complications than non-indigenous Australians. Arguably the most famous was a Medical Journal of Australia paper authored by Professor Paul Norman and colleagues that reported indigenous people in certain age groups had up to a 38-fold increased…

loading… Non-removable knee-high offloading devices are the globally-recognised gold standard treatment to most effectively heal plantar diabetic foot ulcers. This is because they have been found to be the most effective in reducing plantar pressure and daily activity on the ulcer area, and adherence is enforced. However, these devices are contraindicated in some patients and…

loading… A new study has found that patients with diabetic foot disease have the highest number of doctor visits, longest doctor visits, highest number of referrals to other doctors and highest risk of hospitalization than all other common diseases studied. This study published in the leading journal Diabetes Care – authored by global diabetic foot…

loading… So far in our “Guides You Through” series, we’ve discussed the estimates behind the current burden of DFD, and the forecasted savings if evidence-based DFD care was implemented across Australia.  Now third in the series, we’re “Guiding You Through” the estimated workforce required to ensure evidence-based DFD care is available for all people with diabetes-related…

loading… An important new study investigating the validity and reliability of using mobile phone images to diagnose diabetic foot ulcer characteristics has recently been published in the journal Scientific Reports. Mobile phone images are used for pretty much everything these days, including assessing and recording the progress of diabetic foot ulcers. In particular, clinicians with…