The hospitalization profiles of patients with or without diabetes treated for nontraumatic lower extremity amputation in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State, Brazil, 2001-2008.

The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the hospitalizations of patients with or without diabetes mellitus (DM) who underwent nontraumatic lower extremity amputation (NLEA) with regard to demographic and hospitalization-related variables. It is a high proportion of hospital beds in developing countries, for patients with diabetes mellitus with lower extremity complications. Nontraumatic amputations of lower extremities rates is an important indicator to assess the effectiveness of efforts to reduce chronic complications related to diabetic foot.