Diabetic foot disease during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned for our future

Cesare Miranda; Giorgio Zanette; Roberto Da Ros

doi:10.5114/amsad/151047

Diabetic foot disease during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned for our future

Arch Med Sci Atheroscler Dis. 2022 Aug 8:7:e94-e103. doi: 10.5114/amsad/151047. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Cesare Miranda¹, Giorgio Zanette¹, Roberto Da Ros²

Affiliations

¹ Clinic of Endocrinology and Metabolism Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Azienda Sanitaria Friuli, Pordenone, Italy.
² Clinic of Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliana Isontina, Monfalcone, Italy.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on the treatment of all diseases, especially chronic ones, and diabetic foot is no exception. The COVID-19 pandemic has favored the adoption of a new model of assistance delivery to facilitate the delivery of remote assistance to patients. The standard model based on face-to-face visits has been integrated by a hybrid model of telemedicine, home care and face-to-face visits to keep patients at home to minimize the number of in-person visits to clinics and admissions except for complicated DFUs. However, telemedicine is not always possible or suitable for various reasons (patients not digital, need for practical treatment of the foot etc.). In this review, we looked at the different approaches to diabetic foot ulcer management and the indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diabetes-related lower extremity complications and the lessons we have learned for the future.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; amputation; diabetic foot ulcer; foot ulceration; telemedicine.