Multidisciplinary Approach to Prevent Limb Amputation in Diabetic Patients

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a complex disease with clinical sequelae including cardiovascular disease, renal failure, extremity complications, and death. Lower limb amputation is the most serious morbidity and consequence for diabetic patients due to its associated burden on quality of life and economic implications. Limb amputation is caused by a series of complications involving multiple organ systems. We believe that a multidisciplinary diabetic care team, consisting of vascular specialists, wound care specialists, and cardiologists, will facilitate in systematically addressing each complication leading to amputation. Diabetic patients have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, resulting in the expanding involvement and importance of interventional cardiologists on these multidisciplinary diabetic care teams. Several national and global institutions have successfully demonstrated the multidisciplinary approach to facilitate efficient and timely care, and most importantly, reduce the rates of diabetes-related limb amputation. The Heart, Vascular and Leg Center coordinates vascular specialty care and provides dedicated patient management in order to increase treatment quality, patient literacy, and medication adherence to decrease lower extremity amputation rates. J Endocrinol Metab. 2019;9(5):120-126 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem615