News Release

For immediate release
November 6, 2009

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The Wound Healing Center at Marion Regional Healthcare System Offers Help for Diabetics

Marion, SC--According to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, 60 percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States are diabetes related.

The American Diabetes Association, which has named November as American Diabetes Month, reports that the rate of amputation for people with diabetes is ten times higher than for people without the disease.

“It is estimated that the cost of diabetes-related limb amputations costs the U.S. healthcare system more than $3 billion each year, yet that cost pales in comparison to the toll it takes on patients. Studies show that the five-year survival rate after one major lower extremity amputation is about 50 percent,” said P.G. Krishnan, MD, Medical Director of Marion Regional Healthcare System’s Wound Healing Center.

“Treating patients who have developed chronic wounds as a result of diabetes is a major part of what we do,” he said. “People with diabetes can’t properly regulate blood sugar or glucose levels which can damage blood vessels and nerves over time contributing to slower wound healing.”

The Wound Healing Center at Marion Regional Healthcare System uses a multi-disciplinary team approach to help diabetes patients and their families manage the disease. The Center also provides education to help family members increase awareness for those with a heredity disposition

Dr. Krishnan offers the following advice:

•Individuals with diabetes who have evidence of nerve damage and sensory loss are at a higher risk for severe, disease-induced foot problems and should pay special attention to their feet.

•Comprehensive foot care programs can reduce amputation rates by 45 percent to 85 percent. It is important for diabetics to wear proper footwear, inspect their feet daily and take extra care when trimming nails and treating cuts, scrapes and blisters.

•Each year one in 20 people with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer, and up to 24 percent of patients with a foot ulcer will require amputation. Seek medical treatment if a leg or foot wound has not healed in 30 days or shows sign of infection.

For more information on the Wound Healing Center, or to schedule an appointment, call (843) 431-CARE (2273) or visit them on the web at www.MarionCountyMedical.com.

The Wound Healing Center at Marion Regional Healthcare System is located on Highway 76 between Marion and Mullins. A National Healing Corporation Wound Center, it specializes in the treatment of chronic wounds and non-responsive conditions and offers hospital-based outpatient wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy as well as disease management and diabetes care.