Less amputations for diabetic foot ulcer from 2008 to 2014, hospital management improved but substantial progress is still possible: A French nationwide study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the improvement in the management of diabetes and its complications based on the evolution of hospitalisation rates for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) and lower extremity amputation (LEA) in individuals with diabetes in France. METHODS: Data were provided by the French national health insurance general scheme from 2008 to 2014. Hospitalisations for DFU and LEA were extracted from the SNIIRAM/SNDS French medical and administrative database. RESULTS: In 2014, 22,347 hospitalisations for DFU and 8,342 hospitalisations for LEA in patients with diabetes were recorded. Between 2008 and 2014, the standardised rate of hospitalisation for DFU raised from 508 to 701/100,000 patients with diabetes. In the same period, the standardised rate of LEA decreased from 301 to 262/100,000 patients with diabetes. The level of amputation tended to become more distal. The proportion of men (69% versus 73%) and the frequency of revascularization procedures (39% versus 46%) increased. In 2013, the one-year mortality rate was 23% after hospitalisation for DFU and 26% after hospitalisation for LEA. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time in France, the incidence of a serious complication of diabetes, i.e. amputations, has decreased in relation with a marked improvement in hospital management.