New Wound Test Could Cut Diabetes Amputation Rate
March 3, 2012 – 7:20 amFor people with diabetes, elevated blood sugar adversely affects the ability to heal. Their slow-healing wounds invite hard-to-treat infections that can eventually lead to amputation. In fact, they are 15 times more likely to undergo limb amputations than people without diabetes.
Woundchek, a diagnostic test developed by UK-based Systagenix, could lower amputation rates among people with diabetes by detecting hard-to-treat wounds at an earlier stage. Woundchek tests the wound for “elevated protease activity,” which is associated with chronic non-healing wounds.
Proteases are enzymes that cut peptide bonds between proteins.
Tags: Amputation, Amputation Rate
