• Sung Hun Won, Chin Youb Chung, Moon Seok Park, Taeseung Lee, Ki Hyuk Sung, Seung Yeol Lee, Tae Gyun Kim, and Kyoung Min Lee.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Armed Force Hampyeong Hospital, Hampyeong, Korea.
• Yonsei Med. J. 2014 Sep 1; 55 (5): 137313781373-8.

PurposeTo determine the 1-year survival rate, 1-year amputation-free survival rate and the risk factors of amputation for patients with diabetic foot ulcers.Materials And MethodsOne hundred seventy-three patients with diabetic foot ulcers were included in our study. Mean patient age was 67.5 (range, 29 to 87, SD ±11.4) years. 74% of the patients were male. Time from study entry to amputation and time to death were evaluated separately as censored event times by Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was carried out for determining the risk factors of amputation.ResultsThe survival rate and amputation-free survival rate were 96.5% (n=167), 65.9% (n=114), respectively, over one year study period. Severity of ulcer was the strongest significant risk factor of amputation [hazard ratio (HR): 7.99; confidence interval (CI): 3.12 to 20.47]. Peripheral artery disease was also independent risk factor of amputation (HR: 2.64; CI: 1.52 to 4.59).ConclusionIn assessing the prognosis of diabetic foot ulcers, clinicians should consider the severity of ulcer and presence of peripheral artery disease. Our study provides important insights into clinical practice and supplementary information for both physicians and patients.

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