Aims Patients with diabetes, including those with foot complications, are at highest risk for severe outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) present additional challenges given their superimposed risk for severe infections and amputations. The main objectives were to develop a triage algorithm to effectively risk-stratify all DFUs for potential complications, complying with social distancing regulations, preserving personal protective equipment, and to assess feasibility of virtual care for DFU. Methods Longitudinal study during the COVID-19 pandemic performed at a large tertiary institution evaluating the effectiveness of a targeted triage protocol developed using a combined approach of virtual care, electronic medical record data mining, and tracing for rapid risk stratification to derive optimal care delivery methods. 2868 patients with diabetes at risk for foot complications within last 12 months were included and rates of encounters, hospitalizations, and minor amputations were compared to one year prior. Results The STRIDE protocol was implemented in 1-week and eventually included 2600 patients (90.7%) demonstrating effective triage. During normal operations, 40% (938 of 2345) of all visits were due to DFUs and none were performed virtually. After implementation, 98% face-to-face visits were due to DFU, and virtual visits increased by 21,900%. This risk stratified approach led to similar low rates of DFU-related-hospitalization and minor amputation rates 20% versus 24% (p > 0.05) during and prior the pandemic, respectively. Conclusions Implementation of STRIDE protocol was effective to risk-stratify and triage all patients with diabetic foot complications preventing increase in hospitalization and amputations while promoting both social and physical distancing.

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Charcot neuropathic osteoarthropathy (CN) is a rare disease (NIDDK, NIH Summary Report Charcot Workshop, 2008) that causes significant morbidity and mortality for affected patients. The disease can result in severe deformities of the foot and ankle that contribute to the development of ulcerations and amputations. Medical advances have failed to find ways to stop the progression of the disease. However, it is known that early detection of the CN has a substantial impact on patient outcomes. CN in the earliest stage is very difficult to recognize and differentiate from other similar presenting diseases. We intend to outline clinical considerations practitioners can use when evaluating a patient with early stage suspected CN.

Introduction. Charcot foot is a rare and devastating complication of diabetes. While some risk factors are known, debate continues regarding etiology. Elucidating other associated disorders and their temporal occurrence could lead to a better understanding of its pathogenesis. We applied a large data mining approach to Charcot foot for elucidating novel associations. Methods. We conducted an association analysis using ICD-9 diagnosis codes for every patient in our health system (n = 1.6 million with 41.2 million time-stamped ICD-9 codes). For the current analysis, we focused on the 388 patients with Charcot foot (ICD-9 713.5). Results. We found 710 associations, 676 (95.2%) of which had a P value for the association less than 1.0 × 10−5 and 603 (84.9%) of which had an odds ratio > 5.0. There were 111 (15.6%) associations with a significant temporal relationship (P < 1.0 × 10−3). The three novel associations with the strongest temporal component were cardiac dysrhythmia, pulmonary eosinophilia, and volume depletion disorder. Conclusion. We identified novel associations with Charcot foot in the context of pathogenesis models that include neurotrophic, neurovascular, and microtraumatic factors mediated through inflammatory cytokines. Future work should focus on confirmatory analyses. These novel areas of investigation could lead to prevention or earlier diagnosis.

Background Our objective was to study the impact of foot complications on 10 year mortality independent of other demographic and biological risk factors in a racially and socioeconomically diverse managed care population with access to high-quality medical care. Methods We studied 6,992 patients with diabetes in Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD), a prospective observational study of diabetes care in managed care. Foot complications were assessed using administrative claims data. The National Death Index was searched for deaths over 10 years of followup (2000–2009). Results Charcot neuroosteoarthropathy (CN) and diabetic foot ulcer with debridement (DFU) were associated with an increased risk of mortality; however, the associations were not significant in fully adjusted models. Lower extremity amputation (LEA) was associated with an increased risk of mortality in both unadjusted (HR 3.21, 95% CI 2.50–4.12) and fully adjusted models (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.28–2.63). When we examined the associations between LEA and mortality stratified by sex and race, risk was increased in men (HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.25–3.07), Hispanics (HR 5.17, 95% CI 1.48–18.01), and Whites (HR 2.18, 95% CI 1.37–3.47). In sensitivity analyses, minor LEA tended to increase the risk of mortality (HR 1.48, 95% CI 0.92–2.40) and major LEA was associated with a significantly higher risk of death at 10 years (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.18–3.01). Conclusions In this managed care population with access to high-quality medical care, LEA remained a robust independent predictor of mortality. The association was strongest in men and differed by race.