Role of diabetic microvascular disease in the development of foot wounds

Use of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the microcirculation of lower extremity muscles in patients with Type 2 diabetes

AIMS

To quantify the capillary permeability of the lower extremity muscles using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in healthy control subjects without diabetes and patients with diabetes before and after percutaneous angioplasty.

METHODS

Fifty-five patients (30 without diabetes, 25 with Type 2 diabetes with occluded vasculature of the lower extremities) were examined by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. The transfer constant (K-trans) of the tibialis anterior muscle was determined before (for all patients) and after (for patients with diabetes only) percutaneous angioplasty of the intrapopliteal artery. Clinical assessment was also recorded. Statistical significant differences were defined at the level of P < 0.05.

RESULTS

Before percutaneous angioplasty, patients with diabetes displayed significantly lower K-trans values in the tibialis anterior muscles than control subjects. Although percutaneous angioplasty increased the K-trans of these patients, the final values were still less than those of the control group. Differences were also observed between the groups in the Fontaine classification and ankle-brachial index, which reflect ischaemia in the lower extremities. After percutaneous angioplasty, these values were increased in the group with diabetes.

CONCLUSION

K-trans can be used to quantify changes in the capillary permeability of the lower extremity muscles, reflecting the microcirculation of the lower extremities.

Double vs single internal thoracic artery harvesting in diabetic patients: role in perioperative infection rate

Background

The aim of this prospective study is to evaluate the role in the onset of surgical site infections of bilateral internal thoracic arteries harvesting in patients with decompensated preoperative glycemia.

Methods

81 consecutive patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus underwent elective CABG harvesting single or double internal thoracic arteries. Single left ITA was harvested in 41 patients (Group 1, 50.6%), BITAs were harvested in 40 (Group 2, 49.4%). The major clinical end points analyzed in this study were infection rate, type of infection, duration of infection, infection relapse rate and total hospital length of stay.

Results

Five patients developed sternal SSI in the perioperative period, 2 in group 1 and 3 in group 2 without significant difference. All sternal SSIs were superficial with no sternal dehiscence. The development of infection from the time of surgery took 18.5 ± 2.1 and 7.3 ± 3.0 days for Groups 1 and 2 respectively. The infections were treated with wound irrigation and debridement, and with VAC therapy as well as with antibiotics. The VAC system was removed after a mean of 12.8 ± 5.1 days, when sterilization was achieved. The overall survival estimate at 1 year was 98.7%. Only BMI was a significant predictor of SSI using multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis (Odds Ratio: 1.34; 95%Conficdence Interval: 1.02–1.83; p value: 0.04). In the model, the use of BITA was not an independent predictor of SSI.

Conclusion

CABG with bilateral pedicled ITAs grafting could be performed safely even in diabetics with poor preoperative glycaemic control.