Limb salvage for spreading midfoot osteomyelitis following diabetic foot surgery

Abstract 

Osteomyelitis is a challenging problem when it appears in the feet of patients with diabetes. Although the most frequent port of entry for bacteria is an ulcer, surgical wounds also permit entry of bacteria into the foot. This surgical complication may become limb-threatening, and treatment is a challenge. Here we present two cases of patients with neuropathic feet and palpable distal pulses, who were previously treated with surgery, and who presented with spreading bone infection in the midfoot. Pictures and radiological studies are shown. In both cases, bone infection caused severe destruction of the architecture of the midfoot, and the limbs of both patients were threatened. Midfoot osteomyelitis is associated with a higher rate of major amputations than osteomyelitis of the forefoot. Furthermore, meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in one of the cases. Our successful limb salvage approach was based on three steps: 1) removing the infected bone; 2) culture-guided antibiotic treatment; and 3) stabilizing the infected foot by means of total contact casting with openings resulting in a stable foot. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports of the use of a total contact cast to stabilize an unstable and infected foot. Eight years (Case 1) and four years (Case 2) after complete healing, there were no recurrences of infection.

Keywords: Diabetic foot, Osteomyelitis, Bone infection, Diabetic foot infection, Foot ulcer