Type 1 diabetes

The use of esmolol hydrochloride in adults with diabetic foot ulcer improves wound healing and may constitute a novel treatment option, suggests research reported at the 58th EASD Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.

YouTube videos about diabetic foot examination are popular, but of poor quality, report UK researchers.

People with diabetes who attend an annual wellness check are significantly less likely to require a major lower extremity amputation within the same year, shows research from the US Diabetes Belt.

The risk for major leg amputation or death after hospitalization for diabetic foot ulcers is elevated in Black people and those living in rural areas, with a 10.4% absolute increase among patients with both risk factors compared with the national rate, US researchers have found.

Early intensive glycemic control may reduce the long-term risk for foot ulcers in people with type 1 diabetes, suggest data from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial and Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications study.

A prospective analysis of the community-based ARIC cohort supports an increased serious infection risk for people with diabetes.

Negative pressure wound therapy does not improve the closure of chronic diabetic foot wounds compared with current standard treatment in German real-life clinical practice, multicenter trial findings suggest.

People with diabetes have a higher incidence of lower extremity amputation than those without, and individuals with type 1 diabetes have a particularly high risk, research suggests.

Home use of cyclical pressurized topical wound oxygen therapy in addition to standard care increases the likelihood of diabetic foot ulcers completely healing more than fourfold, a sham-controlled trial indicates.

A low-cost, smartphone-based infrared (IR) camera works as well as a high-end version for the detection of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), study findings indicate.

Rastogi A, Prakash M, Bhansali A. Int J Diabetes Dev Ctries 2018. doi: 10.1007/s13410-018-0700-8

Using smart insoles that alert patients to areas of high pressure can markedly reduce their risk for developing diabetic foot ulcers, show the findings of a randomized trial.

Weekly application of an autologous immune cell, fibrin, and platelet patch significantly increases the rate of healing of hard-to-heal foot ulcers compared with standard care in people with diabetes, randomized trial data show.

Patients with diabetes who are at high risk for foot ulceration are more likely to die than to require amputation, report researchers.

Patients who receive more than 3 weeks of antibiotic treatment for diabetic foot infection are no less likely to develop further infection than those treated for a shorter duration, study findings indicate.

Uazman Alam and colleagues interrogate current evidence and real-world clinical scenarios to address whether enough is being done with the tools available to screen and diagnose diabetic neuropathy.

Ahola AJ, Forsblom C, Groop PH. Acta Diabetol 2018. doi: 10.1007/s00592-018-1159-2

Prospective Studies Collaboration and Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2018; Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(18)30079-2

Researchers report that use of an ankle-high removable cast walker, paired with an external lift on the other shoe, improves patients’ comfort and could therefore lead to better adherence, resulting in improved healing of diabetic foot ulcers.

A wound dressing that generates nitric oxide improves the healing of diabetic foot ulcers, relative to standard care, show the findings of a randomized trial.