Advantages of Negative Pressure Therapy in Local Diabetic Foot Treatment

Diabetic foot is a current public health problem and a late consequence of diabetes. Morbidity and mortality are significant, seriously affecting the patient's quality of life. Treatment of the diabetic foot is a long-lasting, highly resource-consumption process. Using negative pressure therapy leads to shorter hospitalization periods, better functional outcomes, significantly contributes to decreasing the number of amputations and improving patient's quality of life. 49 year-old patient is hospitalized with necrotizing at right foot and shank, neglected type II diabetes. It is performed amputation of atypical necessity, right leg, transtarsal, open stump. After successive debridements, negative pressure therapy is installed for a period of 24 days. This favors the formation of the granular bed, the remission of the infection, allowing grafting. The graft is partially integrated and plantar reconstruction is performed with sural reversal flap. The local and functional results are satisfactory, with the flap viability and the possibility of moving with support on the right leg, preventing the amputation of the shank. Negative pressure therapy has a multitude of advantages, it is preferable to conventional therapies, and it can have higher costs, but accelerates healing and improves the quality of life of the patient.