Clinical management of diabetic foot infection: diagnostics, therapeutics and the future

Abstract

Diabetic foot infection accounts for a substantial global burden of morbidity, psychosocial disruption and economic cost. Recommendations for best practice are continuously evolving in parallel with improvements in imaging modalities, development and clinical use of new antimicrobial agents and data surrounding novel adjunctive strategies. We discuss this complex group of infections with a particular emphasis on medical management of osteomyelitis, while also highlighting the importance of a broad multidisciplinary approach to eradicating infection.

Keywords::

• diabetes mellitus
• foot infection
• microbiology
• osteomyelitis
• pharmacology

Disclosures & competing interests

B Lipsky has research funding, consultant or speaker fees from Merck, Pfizer, Schering-Plough/Bayer, Cubist and Wyeth. A Berendt has consultant or speaker fees from Merck and Pfizer. P Matthews has a Clinical Research Training Fellowship grant from the Medical Research Council.