Abstract
The incidence of diabetes mellitus is in increasing tendency because of expension of medical care, economic development and increasing of the population of the aged person recently. The diabetic foot is one of serious complication of diabetes. With the advancement of the method of treatment of diabetes the other acute metabolic complications are decreased, but the development of diabetic gangrene encounteres at any age of adult life with increasing of incidence according to the duration of diabetes. The most of them requires operation, and its treatment is difficult frequently because of high incidence of wound problem in healing. So it is important to educate and prevent for lowering its incidence. From January 1978 to December 1984, 38 patients with diabetic foot were treated and analysed at Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of Presbyterian Medical Center. The results obtained are as follow. 1. The average of annual incidence of diabetic gangrene was 2.85%. There was increasing tendency of incidence to 1981, thereafter decreasing tendency. 2. 71% of patients with gangrene were in over-50 year age group. 3.72% of patients were in duration of diabetes more than 5 years. 4.79% of patiens were in inadequate treatment before admisson. 5. There was no relationship between fasting blood sugar level and development of gangrence. 6. The most common site of the lesion was big toe. 7. The most common predisposing fector was local pressure (39%), then minor trauma, and burn injury. 8. The primary wound healing rate was 53% after operation. 9. There was no relationship between the lowest palpable artery and primary wound healing. 10. The most common combined complication of diabetes was retinopathy (47%), then neuropathy and hypertension. 11. The rate of bacterial infection was 66%, and the most common organism was staphylococcus aureus (36%).