On diabetic foot, wound healing, amputation prevention, and the merger of consumer tech with medical devices
A new single-center study from the Netherlands quantifies the devastating outcomes of the diabetic foot attack: only 48.5% wound closure, 46% major amputation by 12 months, 26% one-year mortality, and 12-month amputation-free survival of just 39.7%. Time is tissue.
A new bibliometric analysis from Wei and colleagues at Capital Medical University in Beijing maps 25 years (2000–2024) of global research on plantar pressure and diabetic foot ulcers — over 2,100 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. The findings tell a story that will feel familiar to many of us who have... Continue Reading →
Chronic wounds are biological computers stuck in a boot loop. Sharp debridement is Control-Alt-Delete — the histological reboot that converts a chronic wound back into an acute one. Only then can you run the apps.
We’ve known for a long time that a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) isn’t just a wound on the bottom of a foot—it’s a massive red flare for a patient’s overall health. But a recent nationwide study in Diabetes Care just put some sobering, and ultimately hopeful, numbers behind that reality. The data from this massive... Continue Reading →
The revolving door of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) remains one of the most punishing cycles in limb preservation. While total contact casting and other standard off-loading approaches are effective for initial wound closure, they often fail to address the underlying biomechanical driver: persistent plantar pressure from bony “hot spots.” Emerging evidence suggests that minimally invasive... Continue Reading →
For decades, the standard response to a diabetic foot ulcer has been to shut everything down. We focus so intently on offloading that we often inadvertently prescribe a total sedentary lifestyle. But as our colleagues at the University of Michigan point out in their recent review, we need to shift the narrative toward "Toe, Flow,... Continue Reading →
I Reflections on new work from the International Flow and Toe Research Team (iFORT) One of the most persistent challenges in limb preservation is not the first ulcer — it is the next one. Recurrence remains a defining feature of the disease, with up to 60% of people developing a new ulcer within three years... Continue Reading →
For decades, clinicians and researchers have sought a simple, reliable biomechanical predictor of diabetic foot ulceration. Peak plantar pressure has been the standard metric, but its predictive value has always been modest. A newer, more holistic measure—cumulative plantar tissue stress (CPTS)—was thought to offer better predictive power by integrating multiple factors: plantar pressure, time spent... Continue Reading →
A new manuscript published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery sheds light on the alarming prevalence of silent, severe coronary ischemia in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). The study, “High Prevalence of Silent, Severe Coronary Ischemia in Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcers,” demonstrates that a significant proportion of DFU patients—without overt history of coronary artery... Continue Reading →
For millions living with diabetes, foot ulcers are more than a painful inconvenience—they’re a serious, often underestimated health threat. With sluggish healing and high infection risks, DFUs dramatically increase the likelihood of hospitalization and amputation. But a recent clinical trial points to a simple, well-known compound—vitamin D—as a powerful ally in the battle against DFUs.... Continue Reading →
