AI Article Synopsis

  • The study aimed to analyze how diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) evolved during and after the Covid-19 lockdown, focusing on outpatients in a single-center facility.
  • It included 27 patients and used the SINBAD classification to assess DFU severity, finding that the majority (72%) had stable or improved conditions after lockdown, with notable links to off-loading footwear use and diabetes type.
  • The research concluded that lockdown had a positive impact on DFU outcomes, likely due to better adherence to care, and emphasized the potential role of telemedicine for ongoing patient management.

Article Abstract

Aims: During the Covid-19 epidemic, many countries imposed population lockdown. This study aimed to analyse diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) evolution of outpatients between the lockdown period and 1 month after its end.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a prospective, observational, single-centre study without modification of care. All patients who followed up for a DFU in the study centre between 15 April 2020 and 11 May 2020 were included. The baseline assessment occurred 4 weeks after the beginning of lockdown and the follow-up visit 4-6 weeks after easing of lockdown. The primary analysis was based on the Site, Ischaemia, Neuropathy, Bacterial infection, Area, Depth (SINBAD) classification.

Results: Twenty-seven patients were included, median 69.4 years, and 25 were followed-up at easing of lockdown. The median SINBAD score was 2 (interquartile range 1; 3) at inclusion and 1 (1; 2) at easing of lockdown, with a mean change of -0.32 (95% confidence interval -0.93; 0.29). Seventy-two percent of the population had a stable or improved score between the two visits. The proportion of patients using off-loading footwear was higher among those whose SINBAD score improved compared to those whose score worsened or remained stable (72%, 44% and 28%, respectively). Diabetes type was linked to DFU prognosis. Five patients (20%) were hospitalized during the follow-up period.

Conclusion: Lockdown appears to have had a positive effect on DFU if patients remain under the care of their expert wound centre. We believe this effect is related to better compliance with offloading. The wide use of tele-medicine seems relevant for the follow-up of DFU.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9015270PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dmrr.3520DOI Listing

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