Nonremovable, Windowed, Fiberglass Cast Boot in the Treatment of Diabetic Plantar Ulcers
Efficacy, safety, and compliance
Article Figures & Tables
Figures
- Figure 1—
Ulcer of the midfoot treated with a cast boot.
- Figure 2—
Comparison of the treatments.
Tables
- Table 1—
Clinical characteristics of patients at recruitment
Characteristic Cast boot Off-loading shoe P n 42 51 — Age (years) 58 ± 11 62 ± 7 NS Men 38 (90.5) 40 (78.4) NS Type 1 diabetes 6 (14.3) 12 (23.5) NS Diabetes duration (years) 17 ± 11 15 ± 10 NS BMI (kg/m2) 28.55 ± 3.42 29.06 ± 4.76 NS Retinopathy 31 (74) 37 (73) NS Peripheral arterial disease 23 (55) 22 (43) NS Neuropathy 42 (100) 49 (96) NS HbA1c (%) 7.85 ± 2.7 8.18 ± 1.6 NS Creatinine (μmol/l) 119 ± 205 163 ± 200 NS Ulcer length (mm) 20.43 ± 12.06 15.61 ± 12.31 NS Ulcer width (mm) 13.8 ± 7.71 10.21 ± 9.12 0.045 Ulcer depth (mm) 5.42 ± 5.35 3.37 ± 3.16 0.03 Ulcer duration >6 months 20 (48) 9 (18) 0.002 Ulcer duration (days) 395 ± 560 134 ± 272 0.0078 Ulcer under the forefoot 35 (83) 49 (96) — Ulcer under the midfoot (Charcot deformity) 4 (10) 0 0.0439 Ulcer under the hindfoot 3 (7) 2 (4) — Data are means ± SD or n (%).
- Table 2—
Compliance with off-loading treatments
Compliance Cast boot Shoe Level 3: Use of the off-loading device whenever weight is borne on the foot. 41 (97.6) 5 (9.8) Level 2: Use of the off-loading device during walking, except over short distance (e.g., to use the bathroom at night). 0 16 (31.3) Level 1: Use of the off-loading device only for walking short distances during the day (or to use the bathroom at night), but no use outside the home, particularly when driving. 0 28 (55) Level 0: Off-loading device removed by the patient or very rarely used. 1 (2.3) 2 (3.9) Total 42 51 Data are n (%). P = 0.001.
In this Issue
October 2003, 26(10)
Nonremovable, Windowed, Fiberglass Cast Boot in the Treatment of Diabetic Plantar Ulcers
