Survival of diabetes patients with major amputation is comparable to malignant disease.
BACKGROUND
Almost all studies on diabetic foot syndrome focused on prevention of amputation and did not investigate long-term prognosis and survival of patients as a primary outcome parameter.


METHODS
We did a retrospective cohort study including 314 patients who had diabetic foot syndrome and underwent amputation between December 1995 and January 2001.


RESULTS
A total of 48% of patients received minor amputation (group I), 15% only major amputation (group II) and 36% initially underwent a minor amputation that was followed by a major amputation (group III). Statistically significant differences were observed in comparison of the median survival of group I to group II (51 vs. 40 months; p = 0.016) and of group II to group III (40 vs. 55 months; p = 0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
The prognosis of patients with major amputation due to diabetic foot syndrome is comparable to patients with malignant diseases. Vascular interventions did not improve the individual prognosis of patients.
University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany drmartinhoffmann@gmail.com.
Martin
M
Hoffmann
University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany.
Peter
P
Kujath
Schön Klinik Neustadt, Neustadt in Holstein, Germany.
Annette
A
Flemming
University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany.
Moritz
M
Proß
University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany.
Nehara
N
Begum
University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany.
Markus
M
Zimmermann
University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany.
Tobias
T
Keck
Asklepios Klinik Altona, Hamburg, Germany.
Markus
M
Kleemann
Westküstenklinikum (WKK) Heide, Heide, Germany.
Erik
E
Schloericke
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
Diabetes mellitus; diabetic foot ulcer; major amputation; minor amputation; survival