title: Diabetic wound healing and limb salvage in an outpatient wound care program.
abstract: Healing wounds and preventing amputations in diabetic patients is a challenge. Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, developed an outpatient Wound Care Center program to treat patients with chronic wounds. This comprehensive program includes wound assessment, vascular studies, revascularization, antibiotic therapy, wound debridement, a topical growth factor solution of platelet-derived wound healing factors, protection devices, and patient education. A retrospective study of wound healing and limb salvage was conducted on 54 diabetic patients with 86 wounds. Average previous wound duration was 8 months. Amputation had previously been recommended for 15 limbs. Healing occurred in 88% of the wounds in an average of 15.8 weeks. Ninety-three percent of the limbs for which amputation had been recommended were salvaged. Healing efficacy and amputation reduction have been demonstrated in this program.
authors.affiliation: Baptist Hospital Wound Care Center, Nashville, Tenn. 37203.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Keyser
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003646:Debridement / Q000592:standards; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D016519:Hospitals, Religious; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013714:Tennessee; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor