Nannam Venkata Ramanaiah1, Gandikota Venkata Prakash2, Kumbha Roja Ramani3, Shaik Heena4, Dintyala Venkata S.S. Mythri5, Udayagiri Shanmukha Srinivasulu6
BACKGROUND
Diabetic foot is the most common and most feared complication of diabetes and
is more significant than nephropathy, retinopathy, heart attack, and stroke
combined. Diabetes-associated problems are the second common cause of lowerlimb
amputations in India. Foot disorders like ulcerations, infection, Gangrene are
the leading causes of hospitalization in patients with diabetes mellitus in India.1
METHODS
A prospective study, carried out on 100 diabetic patients with foot ulcers over a
period of one year from April 2019 to March 2020 at Sri Venkateswara Medical
College hospital. The extent of foot infection was assessed based on Wagner’s
classification and were studied based on the culture and sensitivity obtained and
the efficacy of the antibiotic used.
RESULTS
The data analysis of 100 patients has given the following results. 70 % (70
patients) of them were culture positive, and 30 % (30 patients) were culture
negative. Culture positive patients were divided into two groups with 35 patients
each. Group A started on empirical therapy, Group B on sensitive antibiotic
therapy. Repeat swab taken on day 7 from the previously culture-positive patients
(70 patients), it was found that 30 out of 35 patients of group-A (empirical
therapy) were still culture positive with a similar or newer organism, only 5 patients
were culture negative, whereas in 35 patients of Group-B (sensitive antibiotic
therapy) only 5 patients were culture positive with a similar or newer organism,
remaining 30 patients were culture negative. Sensitive antibiotic therapy was
found to be effective than empirical therapy in treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.
CONCLUSIONS
Culture and sensitivity from the wounds play a critical role in prescribing
appropriate antibiotic at the time of admission itself rather than starting the
empirical treatment.
