{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,3]],"date-time":"2026-10-03T04:30:35Z","timestamp":1791001835354,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760227200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"University of Medicine and Pharmacy \u201cCarol Davila\u201d"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Diabetes-related foot diseases represent a global health problem because of the associated complications, the risk of amputation, and the economic burden on health systems. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a technique that uses sub-atmospheric pressure to help promote wound healing by reducing the inflammatory exudate while keeping the wound moist, inhibiting bacterial growth, and promoting the formation of granulation tissue. Objective: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of NPWT in preventing major amputation in diabetic patients with complicated foot or lower limb infections and to contextualize the results through a review of the existing literature. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study at the First Surgical Department of \u201cDr. I. Cantacuzino\u201d Clinical Hospital in Bucharest, Romania, over a 15-year period, including 30 consecutive adult patients with diabetes and soft tissue foot or lower limb infections treated with NPWT. Patients with non-diabetic ulcers, incomplete medical data, or aged under 18 were excluded. All patients underwent initial surgical debridement, minor amputation, or drainage procedures, followed by the application of NPWT using a standard protocol. Dressings were changed every 2\u20134 days for a total of 7\u201310 days. Antibiotic therapy was adapted according to the culture results. The primary outcome was limb preservation, defined as avoidance of major amputation. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality and wound status at discharge. Results: NPWT was associated with a favorable outcome in 24 patients (80%), defined by wound granulation or healing without the need for major amputation. Five patients (16.6%) underwent major amputation because of failure of the primary lesion treatment, and one patient died. No statistically significant association was observed between the outcomes and standard classification scores (WIFI, IWGDF, and TPI). A comprehensive literature review helped to integrate these findings into the existing pool of knowledge. Conclusions: NPWT may support limb preservation in selected diabetic foot cases. While the retrospective design and the small sample size of the study limit generalizability, these results reinforce the need for further controlled studies to evaluate NPWT in real-life clinical settings. The correct use of NPWT combined with etiological treatment may offer a maximum chance to avoid major amputation in patients with diabetes-related foot diseases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14207193","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]],"date-time":"2025-10-15T10:12:29Z","timestamp":1760523149000},"page":"7193","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in the Treatment of Complicated Wounds of the Foot and Lower Limb in Diabetic Patients: A Retrospective Case Series"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1887-0388","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Octavian","family":"Mihalache","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicine School, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Surgical Department I, \u201cDr. I. Cantacuzino\u201d Clinical Hospital, 030167 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laurentiu","family":"Simion","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicine School, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"General Surgery and Surgical Oncology Department I, Bucharest Institute of Oncology \u201cProf. Dr. Alexandru Trestioreanu\u201d, 022328 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Horia","family":"Doran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicine School, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Surgical Department I, \u201cDr. I. Cantacuzino\u201d Clinical Hospital, 030167 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andra Bontea","family":"B\u00eerligea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicine School, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dan Cristian","family":"Luca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicine School, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"General Surgery and Surgical Oncology Department I, Bucharest Institute of Oncology \u201cProf. Dr. Alexandru Trestioreanu\u201d, 022328 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9225-8030","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Chitoran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicine School, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"General Surgery and Surgical Oncology Department I, Bucharest Institute of Oncology \u201cProf. Dr. Alexandru Trestioreanu\u201d, 022328 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8944-3857","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Florin","family":"Bobirc\u0103","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicine School, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Surgical Department I, \u201cDr. I. Cantacuzino\u201d Clinical Hospital, 030167 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Petronel","family":"Must\u0103\u021bea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicine School, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Surgical Department I, \u201cDr. I. Cantacuzino\u201d Clinical Hospital, 030167 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Traian","family":"P\u0103tra\u0219cu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicine School, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Surgical Department I, \u201cDr. I. Cantacuzino\u201d Clinical Hospital, 030167 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"IDF\u2014Diabetes Atlas (2025, September 27). Global Diabetes Data & Statistics. Available online: https:\/\/diabetesatlas.org\/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=8198961119&gbraid=0AAAAAC2rxonp99QLUhN0o90UDlkpjMbqL&gclid=CjwKCAjwlt7GBhAvEiwAKal0coN_d9m7ue4K-MdlX2VnoEiBNngWpoGrnQBJINC_XeQS_pb4nm4GzxoCb9AQAvD_BwE."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e3654","DOI":"10.1002\/dmrr.3654","article-title":"Definitions and Criteria for Diabetes-Related Foot Disease (IWGDF 2023 Update)","volume":"40","author":"Bus","year":"2024","journal-title":"Diabetes Metab. Res. 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Rev."}],"container-title":["Journal of Clinical Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/14\/20\/7193\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]],"date-time":"2025-10-15T10:39:21Z","timestamp":1760524761000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/14\/20\/7193"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]]},"references-count":28,"journal-issue":{"issue":"20","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10]]}},"alternative-id":["jcm14207193"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm14207193","relation":{},"ISSN":["2077-0383"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2077-0383","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]]}}}