When Diabetic Amputations Are Avoidable: Lessons From the Reported Cases - Paul Sankey, Enable Law
14/06/17. With diabetes increasing, more patients are likely to need amputations. Good preventative care is crucial. Unfortunately medical mistakes sometimes lead to amputations, a situation which is familiar to clinical negligence practitioners. So where are the risks and why do things go wrong? The reported cases give an indication.
Of course most l claims settle after negotiation and not trial. Settlements are rarely reported. So although these cases give an indication of what goes wrong they are not a reliable guide. However there are broadly 5 types of case reported.
Managing the Diabetic Foot
NICE Guidelines require urgent referral of patients with limb-threatening or life threatening diabetic foot problems. These include ulcers with fever, signs of sepsis, limb ischaemia, possible infection or gangrene. All other diabetic foot problems should be referred within one working day. The referral should be made to a multi-disciplinary diabetic foot clinic. A common error is GPs failing to do this and instead managing the patient themselves or leaving...
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