Comparison of Clinical Outcomes of Lower Extremity Burns in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Patients: A Retrospective Analysis

Diabetes mellitus is an increasingly prevalent chronic disease that leads to long-term health consequences. Some long-term clinical sequelae of diabetes include coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, peripheral neuropathy, and impaired wound healing. These can increase hospital stay and complications such as wound infections and amputations among patients with lower extremity burns. A retrospective analysis was performed of all isolated lower extremity burns from a single tertiary burn care center from 2006 to 2017. Patients were stratified by diabetic status and the incidence of lower extremity amputations was the primary outcome. Multivariable regression was used to model the association between diabetes and amputations, adjusting for patient and injury characteristics. A total of 198 patients were identified as meeting inclusion criteria, 160 were nondiabetic and 38 were diabetic. Age was significantly different between nondiabetic and diabetic patients; mean age was 46 ± 18 vs 62 ± 17 years (P < .0001). Length of stay was also significantly different, median length of stay was 11 (interquartile range 7-15) vs 18 (interquartile range 12-24; P < .001), with diabetic patients staying longer. There was a significantly greater proportion of diabetic patients that had an amputation (control 4% vs diabetic 29%; P < .0001). After adjustment for patient and injury characteristics, there was a significant association between diabetes and amputation (P = .002). Among patients with isolated lower extremity burns, those with a preexisting condition of diabetes had a longer hospitalization and increased amputations, despite similar size of burn. Diabetes is an important risk factor to acknowledge in patients with these injuries to optimize care.