title: Impact of diabetes and comorbidities on split-thickness skin grafts for foot wounds.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Split-thickness skin grafts can be used for foot wound closure in diabetic and nondiabetic patients. It is unknown whether this procedure is reliable for all diabetic patients, with or without comorbidities of diabetes, including cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, retinopathy, and nephropathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed 203 patients who underwent this procedure to determine significant differences in healing time, postoperative infection, and need for revisional surgery and to create a predictive model to identify diabetic patients who are likely to have a successful outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, compared with nondiabetic patients, diabetic patients experienced a significantly higher risk of delayed healing time and postoperative complication/infection and, hence, are more likely to require revisional surgery after undergoing the initial split-thickness skin graft procedure. These differences seemed to be related more to the presence of comorbidities than to diabetic status itself. Diabetic patients with preexisting comorbidities experienced a significantly increased risk of delayed healing time and postoperative infection and a higher need for revisional surgery compared with nondiabetic patients or diabetic patients without comorbidities. However, there were no significant differences in outcome between diabetic patients without comorbidities and nondiabetic patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For individuals with diabetes but without exclusionary comorbidities, split-thickness skin grafting may be considered an effective surgical alternative to other prolonged treatment options currently used in this patient population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA. ramanujam@uthscsa.edu
authors.forename: Crystal L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ramanujam
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Krista
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kilpadi
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zgonis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016523:Foot Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing