Complications of Stump Healing Among Diabetic Population

ABSTRACT

Lower limb amputation is a major procedure performed in diabetic patients with multiple comorbidities. Almost 10% of the National Health Service budget is taken up by diabetes, with diabetes-related complications accounting for 80% of the costs. The process of wound healing is complex and involves regenerating the cellular organization and the tissue layers. Diabetics are five times more predisposed to wound infection than patients without diabetes mellitus. The amputated stump frequently becomes infected due to inadequate blood circulation, a weak immune system, and poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. Pain, stump edema, and osteomyelitis are significant complications associated with lower limb amputation wounds. A number of factors may substantiate the need for re-amputation, such as stump pain and/or phantom limb pain, delayed stump infection, the formation of symptomatic bone spurs, assessment of the skin flap designed to preserve stump length, and preparation of the stump for the prosthetic device. There are currently no reliable standards that can be referred to prior to leg amputation. The clinicians, therefore, have to rely on their judgment and investigatory parameters. The main purpose of this review is to discuss the difficulties of stump healing in the diabetic population.