High risk of death after major diabetes-related amputations

(HealthDay)—There is a high risk of postoperative mortality among patients undergoing lower-limb amputation, according to a study published online April 5 in Diabetes Care.

Jason K. Gurney, Ph.D., from University of Otago in Wellington, New Zealand, and colleagues calculated postoperative mortality after lower-limb amputation in a national prevalent cohort of 302,339 individuals diagnosed with diabetes between 2005 and 2014.

The researchers found that 6,352 lower-limb amputations occurred over the study period (2,570 major amputations, 3,782 minor amputations). Of those who underwent major amputation, more than 11 percent of patients died within 30 days and 18 percent died within 90 days. Older patients and indigenous Maori were more likely to die. However, sex, deprivation, rurality, hospital volume, admission type, and patient comorbidity were not consistently or substantially independently associated with risk of postoperative mortality.

"In a national prevalent cohort of patients with diabetes, there was high risk of postoperative mortality as well as a differential risk of postoperative mortality by demographic subgroup," the authors write. "Further work is required to investigate the drivers of postoperative mortality among patients with diabetes who undergo amputation."

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