Management of Diabetic Wounds: Expert Panel Consensus Statement.

Abstract

Significance: The Wound Healing Foundation recognized the need for consensus-based unbiased recommendations for the treatment of wounds. Consensus statements on the treatment of chronic wounds and acute wounds have been developed and published previously. The current publication on diabetic wounds represents the next step in this process. Diabetic wounds constitute a major problem. Population-based and meta-analytic studies indicate that the presence of foot wounds in patients with diabetes increases their mortality risk by more than twofold. The management of diabetic wounds requires consistent and evidence-driven intervention to achieve optimal clinical outcomes. This consensus statement provides the clinician with the necessary foundational approaches to the causes, diagnosis, and therapeutic management of diabetic wounds. Presented in a structured format, this is a useful guide for clinicians and learners in all patient care settings. Recent Advances: Continuous glucose monitoring and other new tools have facilitated better diabetes management and the management of associated wounds. Diabetic limb salvage should focus on achieving and optimizing function for the patient with diabetes rather than preserving limb tissue at all costs. Critical Issues: Successful management of diabetic wounds requires a multidisciplinary approach encompassing comprehensive assessment, timely intervention, and collaborative care by the wound clinician with providers who can address critical aspects to achieve healing, including careful management of blood glucose levels, optimization of off-loading and physical therapy, assessment and treatment of limb ischemia, control and prevention of wound infection, and optimal pain management. Future Directions: Emerging treatments offer hope and promise, but the heterogenicity of diabetic wounds poses a challenge to performing good studies, which will be necessary to advance new treatments for diabetic wounds.