Dr. Mohamed Rafeek Saafan's clinic specializes in treating diabetic foot using the latest medical and surgical techniques to ensure the best possible results for maintaining foot health and preventing complications. The doctor offers comprehensive services that include all stages of diagnosis and treatment.
1. Foot Care
Examine your feet daily to ensure there are no cuts, redness, swelling, or ulcers. If you cannot see well, use a mirror or ask a family member for help.
Wash your feet every day with warm (not hot) water, then dry them thoroughly. Apply moisturizer to the tops and bottoms of your feet, but not between your toes to avoid fungal infections.
Never go barefoot. Always wear shoes and socks, even at home, to prevent injury. Make sure there are no pebbles or other objects inside your shoes.
Wear appropriate shoes for diabetic feet. Put on your new shoes slowly, wearing them for one or two hours a day initially until they are completely comfortable. Always wear socks with your shoes. Sometimes, wearing shoes specifically designed for diabetic foot is recommended.
Trim your toenails straight across and gently smooth any sharp edges.
2. Surgical Intervention
Surgical intervention for diabetic foot includes several options.
Surgical debridement: Many diabetic foot patients require wound debridement to remove calluses and dead tissue.
Surgical debridement is the first and most essential step in the treatment protocol for diabetic foot ulcers.
Surgical debridement stimulates the wound edge, releases growth factors, and reduces inflammation. Removing dead and diseased tissue allows healthy tissue to heal.
It also eliminates conditions conducive to bacterial overgrowth and other pathological processes that can lead to pain and foot deterioration.
Vascular Surgery
Non-healing wounds may indicate insufficient blood flow to the foot, necessitating vascular surgery such as arterial bypass using a venous graft or artificial arteries, or the removal of plaque or atherosclerosis with angioplasty.
Orthopedic Surgery
3. Interventional Catheterization
Interventional catheterization is used in diabetic foot patients when wounds or ulcers fail to heal due to insufficient blood flow to the foot, in addition to neuropathy caused by diabetes.
Peripheral interventional catheterization is a minimally invasive procedure performed under local anesthesia and requires no more than 24 hours of hospital stay. Access is usually gained through the femoral artery using an arterial stent, which is a thin tube used to reach the arteries affected by atherosclerosis. Whether there is narrowing or blockage of the arteries, treatment involves balloon angioplasty or, sometimes, stent placement.
4. Advanced Wound Care
Using the latest medical dressings and the new generation of dressings to accelerate wound healing.
Treating chronic infections using modern techniques while reducing the need for intensive antibiotics.
Close monitoring of the condition to ensure proper wound healing.
5. Charcot Foot Management
Charcot foot treatments aim to reduce permanent foot deformity and ultimately allow for a stable, gaitable foot. In the acute phase, it is essential to immobilize the foot and restrict weight-bearing to prevent permanent deformity. This is achieved through weight-bearing. Assistive devices such as crutches and wheelchairs can help with weight-bearing. A total contact cast (TCC) with an ankle-mobilization walking device (CAMWALKER) can provide a solution to avoid putting weight on the affected foot. The TCC redistributes and reduces stress on the foot while allowing walking. This phase can last for weeks. With these types of preventative measures, the foot may heal without fractures or deformities.
There are also medications to control Charcot's activity, including bisphosphonates and calcitonin supplements, which are often prescribed during the acute phase.
Surgery is also a treatment option, and it remains controversial whether intervention is necessary in the acute or chronic phase of Charcot's.
The time required for the stages of foot and bone inflammation to end is approximately 8 months. Since non-compliance with treatment leads to major complications, including ulcers that occur in 67% of Charcot cases, or sometimes amputation of the limb, patients must understand the extent of their condition and the possible complications that may change their lives if strict adherence to the treatment plan is not followed, as Charcot joint can lead to multi-stage reconstructive surgeries for the foot.
💡 Why choose Dr. Mohamed Rafik Saafan's clinic?
Extensive experience in vascular surgery and diabetic foot treatment.
Utilization of the latest interventional catheterization and microsurgical techniques.
An individualized treatment plan for each patient to ensure optimal results and maximum safety.