Diabetes complications were significantly associated with higher rates of site infection following foot and ankle surgery, according to a recent study.

Researchers evaluated 2,060 consecutive surgical cases. Patients were categorized as nondiabetic patients without neuropathy (Group 1) or with neuropathy (Group 2), or as patients with diabetes who had no complications (Group 3) or at least one complication of diabetes (Group 4).

The observed rate of surgical site infection was 3.1%. Group 4 was 7.25 times more likely to incur surgical site infection compared with Group 1 and 3.72 times more likely than Group 3. Group 2 was 4.72 times more likely to incur surgical site infection as opposed to Group 1, though Group 2 did not have a significantly higher likelihood of surgical site infection than Group 3, according to the researchers.  The frequency of surgical site infection in Group 3 was not significantly different from Group 1.

“Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that peripheral neuropathy and a hemoglobin A1c of ≥ 8% were independently associated with surgical site infection,” the researchers wrote.

Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.