The purpose of this study is to analyze 70 patients with diabetic foot ulcers admitted as in-patients for treatment in the Triângulo Mineiro School of Medicine, Uberaba, MG. The lesions were evaluated considering the patient's type of diabetes mellitus (DM), the period of time between the diagnosis of DM and the admission, bacterial pathogens commonly found in the culture materials, the type of treatment required and the clinical outcome of the patients. Eighty-seven per cent of the patients had type 2 DM. There was no relation to gender and the patients were mainly in the 6th and 7th decades of life. The lesions were more frequent in patients with more than 5 years' duration of DM. The most common bacterial pathogens detected in the culture materials were Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus sp. The patients were treated with specific antibiotics, daily dressings and debridements whenever needed. Amputation and mortality rates were 61.4% and 15.7%, respectively. The average length of in-hospital stay was 38 days and the causes of death were mainly sepsis. The diabetic foot is a public health problem of significant magnitude. It requires a long-term therapy and may result in drastic changes in the patients' lifestyle. Prevention is still the best way to solve this problem.
Diabetes mellitus; Diabetic foot; Amputation; Infection
