Year: 2025 | Month: November | Volume: 15 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 271-283
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20251133
Clinico-Microbiological Profile and Treatment Outcomes of Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs) in a Tertiary Care Hospital - A Prospective Study
Prashanta Swami Pujar1, Prajwal RK2, Pavithra P3, Sachin4
1Assistant Professor, Department of General Surgery, Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan, India.
2Assistant Professor, Department of General Surgery, Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan, India.
3Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan, India.
4Assistant Professor, Department of General Surgery, Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan, India.
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Corresponding Author: Dr. Prashanta Swami Pujar
ABSTRACT
Background: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) remains one of the most serious complications of diabetes mellitus, contributing significantly to morbidity, lower-limb amputation, and mortality. A thorough understanding of the causes and appropriate management of diabetic foot ulceration is crucial to preventing lower-extremity amputations.
Objectives: To assess the clinico-microbiological profile, socio demographic characteristics, and treatment outcomes of patients presenting with DFU in a tertiary care hospital.
Methods: This prospective hospital-based study, involving 50 consecutively enrolled patients with DFU. Socio demographic and clinical data were recorded. Wound samples were collected aseptically and processed for Gram staining, culture, and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Patients were managed as per ulcer severity, conservative care, debridement, disarticulation, or amputation and followed until discharge.
Results: The study included 27 males (54%) and 23 females (46%), with most patients aged 50–64 years. Type 2 diabetes accounted for 96% of cases, and 66% had diabetes for more than eight years. Peripheral neuropathy was present in 56%, hypertension in 42%, and peripheral arterial disease in 28%. Microbial growth was detected in 90% of cultures, with 58% monomicrobial and 32% polymicrobial infections. Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the predominant isolates. Overall, 84% of patients achieved healing, while 26% required major or minor amputations.
Conclusion: DFU primarily affect patients with long-standing, poorly controlled diabetes. Early-stage ulcers showed good healing outcomes, whereas advanced grades contributed to a 26% amputation rate. Strengthening early detection, foot-care practices, glycaemic control, and culture-guided therapy is essential to reduce complications and improve patient outcomes.
Key words: Diabetic foot ulcer; Microbial profile; Antibiotic sensitivity; Wagner grading; Amputation.