Abstract

PURPOSE: To make protocol on diabetic foot ulcer, with making use of this protocol, investigate hospitalized patients who have had diabetic foot wound and define pattern, characteristics and problems of diabetic foot in hospitalized patients MATERIALS AND METHODS: From Oct. 2002 to Sep. 2003, Seventy-two patients who had been admitted to our hospital due to treatment of diabetic foot wound studied with use of the protocol designed by the authors. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 64.3 years and male patients were twice as many as female. The most common cause of hospitalization was infection of diabetic foot (77.7%). As a basic pathology of diabetic foot, the main pathology of diabetic foot was the neuropathy that is four times more than vasculopathy. The causations of wound were infection with no specific cause (40.0%). No statistical difference was found between timing of hospitalization and the results of treatment in vasculopathic group but in neuropathic ulcer group, the major procedure such as amputation, and the times of debridement in operation room and are more common in patients who were hospitalized after 3rd days of beginning of symptoms than within 3rd day. CONCLUSION: The education that the patient having a foot symptom have to visit the hospital as soon as possible on patients is important to prevent morbidity of diabetic foot wound, long hospitalization and amputation. The protocol that we are presenting can be modified for other study related to diabetic foot.

• Keywords: Diabetic foot;Neuropathy;Vasculopathy;