CLINICAL STUDY TO EVALUATE DIABETIC ULCER SEVERITY SCORE (DUSS) IN DIABETIC FOOT ULCER

A number of diabetic foot ulcer classification is in practice for effective categorization of patients and to predict the outcome.Diabetic Ulcer Severity Score is one of the latest simple wound based score, completely a clinical score which needs to be evaluated for its effectiveness in predicting the outcome of foot ulcers in patients with diabetes. METHODSA total of 226 diabetic patients with foot ulcers treated as outpatient or admitted patients from 1st January to 31st December 2014 were included in the study and was followed till complete healing of ulcer or amputation or for a minimum period of 6 months.Those patients who lost for followup before 6 months were excluded from study.Necessary data was collected and DUSS was calculated at the start of treatment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONIn our study, patients with score 3 had higher risk (40%) for minor amputation and those with score 4 had higher risk (21%) for major amputation overall.Patients with score 4 had 37% risk for minor amputation.Higher the score higher is the risk for amputation and lesser the chance of healing.DUSS scoring system provides an easy diagnostic tool for predicting probability of healing or amputation by combining four clinically assessable wound based parameters namely presence or absence of pedal pulses, probing to bone, wound location and presence or absence of multiple ulcers.Study groups can be stratified depending on severity of ulcers and thus can help provide a simple, streamlined approach in clinical setting without need of any advanced investigative tool, but it does not alter the procedure of wound management.The scoring system can be easily applied to clinical practice.