Assessment of Severity of Diabetic Foot Ulcers Using Diabetic Ulcer Severity Score

Aamir Ali Khan, Muhammad Kashif, Zia Ullah, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ibrahim Shuja and Faiz ur Rahman

ABSTRACT

Objective: Assessment of Severity of Diabetic Foot Ulcers Using Diabetic Ulcer Severity Score.

Study Design: A Prospective study

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Department of General Surgery in Bacha Khan Medical Complex/Gajju Khan Medical College-SWABI from 1st November 2022 to 30 April 2023.

Methods: After taking approval from the ethical board of the institute. A total of 96 individuals were enrolled in this study and their diabetic ulcer severity score was assessed and they were followed up at three and six months. The information collected was input into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, and the proportion of healing or amputation was determined using percentage analysis.

Results: In this study a total of 96 individuals with diabetes mellitus who have foot ulcers were enrolled. Out of which 72(75%) were female and 24(25%) were male. Complete healing was experienced by 100% of individuals with diabetic ulcer severity scores of 0. While 16% people who had a diabetic ulcer severity score of 1 suffered minor amputation, 84% of them experienced ulcer healing over the 6-month follow-up period. 54% of individuals with a score of 2 achieved full ulcer healing while 29% of patients with a diabetic ulcer severity score of 2 experienced minor amputation and 17% underwent major amputation. In contrast to 6.25% of the individuals who experienced full ulcer healing throughout the follow-up period, 56.25% of participants with a diabetic ulcer severity score of 3 experienced minor amputation. Amputation was performed on all patients with a diabetic ulcer severity score of 4. When the results of the participants without pedal pulses were examined separately it became clear that majority of them (91.17%) were amputated.  Active bone involvement was noticed 30% of the participants in which 68.9% have been amputated.

Conclusion: Our study concluded that the frequency of diabetes complications, such as the risk and occurrence of diabetic foot ulcers, has grown over the last several decades in correlation with the rising number of individuals receiving a diabetes mellitus diagnosis.

Key Words: Assessment; Diabetic Foot; Ulcers; Severity Score