Wound healing outcomes after diabetic foot surgery: a follow up study after implementation of a revised protocol

Aim: To identify whether there were improvements in wound healing following the introduction of a new protocol for vascular examination and treatment. Method: Retrospective analyses of two patient cohorts. First cohort 2010-2013 and second cohort 2016. Results: In total 209 cases were included. The second cohort demonstrated an improved healing rate of 10% (p=0.01) and a decrease in the need of additional surgery, however not significant (p>0.05). The number of patients who underwent revascularisation was 40% in the first cohort and 58% in the second cohort (p=0,00) and this was significant more often shortly before or after their surgical procedure in the cohort of 2016 (p=0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the outcomes of revascularisation and wound healing between the two groups (p>0.05) Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the implementation of the new diabetic foot protocol lead to improved healing outcomes. However, the influence of revascularisation on wound healing remains unclear.