Rising foot amputations in Telugu states: Doctors express concern

Dr. Venkatesh Bollineni, Consultant Vascular & Endovascular Surgeon at KIMS Hospital said on Sunday that early detection and timely vascular treatments can help prevent limb amputations due to diabetes, which, doctors say are of a significantly higher number in the two Telugu states. He spoke as the keynote speaker at the Continuing Medical Education (CME) program organized at KIMS Hospital. 

Experts warned that when diabetic patients develop foot ulcers, they often do not feel pain due to neuropathy, due to which the ulcers worsen and eventually may lead to limb amputations. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Venkatesh and his team said that the main aim of this CME is to standardize treatment protocols to prevent and reduce amputations in diabetic patients and among those with ulcers, one in three eventually requires amputation, they cautioned. 

With the advent of endovascular techniques, modern reconstructive methods, and dermal substitutes, treatment outcomes have greatly improved. However, one major challenge is that many patients approach doctors only in the final stages. Plastic Surgeon Dr. Sharath Chandra Reddy and his team advised that diabetic patients must take special care of their feet and seek medical attention immediately even for minor wounds, instead of neglecting them. Early screening and proper awareness can prevent most amputations, they emphasized.