The Impact of HbA1c Levels on Diabetic Foot Ulcers Using Fish Skin Grafts Abstract Introduction This is a retrospective review that explores the effect of hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels on diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) healing in type II diabetes mellitus (DMII) patients. There is currently conflicting evidence as to whether HbA1c levels influence wound healing rate and there are no studies on the association of HbA1c levels with acellular fish skin (AFS) treatment for DFU. Methods This study reviewed 20 cases of chronic DFUs (defined as DFUs that did not show improvement after 30 days of standard of care (SOC) treatment). Patients were treated with AFS once a week for 4 weeks, and the wound size was recorded at the beginning and end of this process. Patients were broken into two groups, each consisting of 10 patients. One group were patients with HbA1c levels between 6 - 8, while the other group consisted of patients with HbA1c levels between 8 - 10. Results The group with HbA1c 6 - 8 showed an average of -41.30% decrease in wound size. The HbA1c 8-10 group had an average of -30.41% decrease. After performing an independent t-test, t-value: -0.56, p-value: 0.299, p>0.05. HbA1c levels do not have a statistically significant effect on wound healing time. Conclusion This study confirms that fish skin grafts are an effective form of wound care treatment. It further proves that despite uncontrolled HbA1c, fish skin treatment remains effective, as HbA1c is not a factor in healing rate.
Shenmei Wu University of Nevada, Las Vegas Las Vegas NV, United States
Introduction
A
ccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more than 37 million Americans have diabetes, and 90 - 95% of them have type II diabetes mellitus (DMII). One of the key areas of morbidity associated with diabetes mellitus is the diabetic foot. 15 - 25% of patients with diabetes will develop a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) within their lifetime, accounting for a total of 9.1 to 26.1 million DFU cases worldwide.1 DFU has become one of the leading causes of limb loss as it is associated with more than 80% of diabetes-related lower extremity amputations. Additionally, the combination of high blood sugar, poor blood circulation and immune system deficiencies that diabetic patients experience increase the risk for wounds and subsequently poor wound healing.2
Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) measures the blood glucose levels in diabetic patients and is a standard test to monitor glycemia. Hb1AC reflects glycemia over 2 - 3 months. When hemoglobin is
Dr Ryan Huang
Alexis Chan
Teaching Faculty, Valley Hospital Medical Center Residency Program
Evanston IL, United States
Northwestern University
Adjunct Professor, Touro University Nevada Las Vegas NV, United States
Wound Masterclass - Vol 1 - September 2022
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