SCREENING FOR DIABETES COMPLICATIONS: BAREFOOT DAYS

One of the serious complications of diabetes is arterial damage. It is characterised by a preferential attack on the small arteries, located between the knee and the toes, leading to a narrowing in the diameter of the artery. This is known as distal arteritis.

The result is reduced perfusion of the muscles and skin tissues of the extremities, particularly the foot. The progression can sometimes be serious, with the risk of gangrene. It is estimated that the risk of amputation is present in 7% of diabetic patients, and that being on dialysis increases the risk of amputation by a factor of 7.

To prevent this risk, the teams at the Clinique Turin nephrology centre have been monitoring the feet of all our patients on a monthly basis since 2012.

These "bare feet" days are part of our therapeutic education programme. These 2 days a month enable care assistants, nurses and nephrologists to detect various lesions in the lower limbs at an early stage. Depending on the severity of the lesions, appropriate treatment is quickly provided.

Around the "feet" of our dialysis patients, a number of cross-disciplinary players are involved in this care: care assistants, nurses, dialysis supervisors, diabetologists, angiologists, vascular surgeons and nephrologists. Not forgetting our secretaries who coordinate our patients' care.

World Diabetes Day is an opportunity to salute their work.