title: Can major amputation rates be decreased in diabetic foot ulcers with hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
abstract: Although hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used for diabetic foot ulcer since the 1980s, there is little information on its efficacy. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether hyperbaric oxygen can decrease major amputation rates and to determine the predictive factors. A total of 184 consecutive patients were treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an adjunct to standard treatment modalities for their diabetic foot ulcer. Of these patients, 115 were completely healed, 31 showed no improvement and 38 underwent amputation. Of the amputations, nine (4.9%) were major amputations (below knee) and 29 were minor. Major amputations were associated with the Wagner grade (p < 0.0001), with the age of the patients (p = 0.028) and with the age of the wounds (p = 0.018). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help to reduce the major amputation rates in diabetic foot ulcer. However, further large, multicentre, randomised controlled studies are needed to make more accurate conclusions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey. drahmetkaya@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Figen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: Taskin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Altay
authors.forename: Levent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karapinar
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Karakuzu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*