Recomendaciones de manejo del paciente con pie diabético. Curso de instrucción

Abstract

Diabetic foot is one of the most fatal outcomes for patients with diabetes; the importance of control in a disease that progresses until presenting important macroscopic changes in the lower limb is absolutely relevant. Along diabetes progression, the disease can lead to increased morbidity and invasive and limiting interventions for the patient, hence the importance of early and timely detection and intervention of the pathology by the medical team. These recommendations are addressed to general practitioners and specialized faculty in various medical branches, emphasizing how a comprehensive approach to the patient with diabetic foot should be carried out. Covering prevention, initial diagnosis, evaluation of the progression of the pathology, stratification with the proposed classifications, and finally the treatment according to the stage in which the patients are, is actually well described herein in order to minimize unsatisfactory outcomes, interventions and complications derived from the progression of diabetic foot. We are talking about recommendations and not guidelines due to the absence in a large number of opportunities of properly structured scientific evidence (I and II). Perhaps, the most important thing to emphasize in all these recommendations is to remind the reader that in cases of treating a diabetic foot, it should always be kept in mind that the contralateral foot is not healthy because it has also been subjected to the same disease, for the same period of time and stressed equally as well. Therefore, even if the contralateral foot does not have symptoms, it should be considered equally ill and should be examined and treated likewise.

Evidence level: IV.