Diabetic Amputations

Surgery Diabetes Every 30 seconds someone loses a limb because of diabetes. It's a startling statistic that doctors at the University of Arizona are hoping to improve.

by Kesshia Peyton

Published: Thu, January 08, 2009 - 10:14 am CST Last Updated: Thu, January 08, 2009 - 10:19 am CST

Every 30 seconds someone loses a limb because of diabetes. It's a startling statistic that doctors at the University of Arizona are hoping to improve.
Dr. David Armstrong is leading a study looking at bone infections in diabetics.
"What we actually found was, that many of these patients who were destined for a high level amputation in the past, did not necessarily need that amputation," said Dr. David Armstrong.
Armstrong's team has found that aggressive surgery to cut out the bone infection, while sparing important blood vessels, is very successful.
"We call it the toe and the flow philosophy, where there's someone managing the foot and there's someone managing the blood flow into the foot," said Dr. Armstrong.
Dr. Armstrong is still conducting several studies on diabetics at risk for amputation and is currently enrolling participants. If you would like to participate go to www.diabetic-foot.net.

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KxVicious Says:

Sun, Jan 11, 2009 at 10:13 am

Oh she’s taking fantastic care of herself! She dropped A LOT of weight when she found out she was diabetic, because as an intensive care nurse, she took care of a few dying diabetic amputee patients. When you learn to think “I could eat this candy bar and ice cream right now, or I can lose my toes and then my life” it’s a lot easier to turn down the sweets.

carl Says:

Sun, Jan 11, 2009 at 4:42 am

Appreciate the info KxVicious.That’s a down to earth suggestion I believe I can do.Hope you did good on those tests you were studying for.The older you get it seems the harder it is to study,you can think of a thousand things you would rather do inside or outside,but usually anything worth having is not gonna be easy.Watch after that mother of your’s and good luck with her diabetes.

KxVicious Says:

Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 4:43 pm

Get the socks, too! My mom’s diabetic and she says the socks are definitely worth the cost. (I borrow them sometimes too—they’re comfortable!)

carl Says:

Fri, Jan 09, 2009 at 1:19 pm

GOOD Afternoon young lady! That’s probably what I need,a good pair of diabetic shoes.I’m starting to have small problems with my feet and it would probably be wise to see about some of those diabetic shoes.

KxVicious Says:

Fri, Jan 09, 2009 at 12:21 pm

This is not hard to avoid. Follow your STRICT diabetic diet, remember that carbs break down to sugars, and wear properly fitting shoes.