ABSTRACT
The American Diabetes Association estimates that over 60,000 lower extremity amputations are performed yearly on the 16 to 18 million individuals with diabetes in the U.S.
Three to four percent of diabetic individuals will have a foot ulcer at any point in time. Fifteen percent will develop a foot ulcer or foot infection at some point in their lifetime. Eighty-five percent of diabetes-associated amputations are preceded by the development of a foot ulcer. The development of a foot ulcer in individuals with diabetes is currently appreciated as the risk-associated marker for lower extremity amputation.
