From Ulcer to Infection: An Update on Clinical Practice and Adjunctive Treatments of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Foot ulcers are a common complication of diabetes. A fifth of all individuals with diabetes develop a diabetic foot infection and are hospitalized at least once in their lifetime. Standard of care for treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and subsequent infection involves a multimodal, interdisciplinary team approach that includes wound care, systemic antimicrobials, and surgery. However, with the relatively poor outcome for chronic, longstanding ulcers and severe infections, recent research has focused on adjunctive therapies to promote wound healing and repair. This review summarizes the underlying pathology and classification of diabetic ulcers and focuses on recent advances that have important implications for the use of adjunctive therapy for diabetic foot infections.