MRSA in the Diabetic Foot

Diabetic foot problems remain a major burden on healthcare resources. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) affect up to 25% of diabetics during their life- time. Diabetic foot ulcers/infections are the most common reason for hospitalization among diabetic patients in the United States (1). Hospital length of stay is 59% longer for diabetic patients with ulcers when compared to those without ulcers (2). Foot ulcers are the antecedent event in 84% of diabetic lower extremity amputations (LEA) (3). More than half of the approximately 120,000 nontraumatic amputations each year are performed on people with diabetes, making diabetes the leading cause of nontraumatic amputations (4). The Centers for Disease Control 1999 Surveillance Summary for nontraumatic amputations revealed that LEAs increased by 24% between 1983 and 1996. There were 10.2 LEAs per 1000 diabetic patients (5). Infection precedes 59% of diabetic amputations (3).