Lower limb wounds in diabetic and non-diabetic patients: survival analysis

To evaluate the survival of wounds in lower limbs of diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Retrospective cohort study of patients with lower limb ulcers treated at a specialized center between 2011 and 2013. Outcome: healing of lower limb injuries in days. The survival function of lower limb wounds and the differences between diabetic and non-diabetic were analyzed. The Log-rank test was used to compare the survival curves between the study groups. In up to 600 days, 23% of the diabetic patients presented wound healing, while 63% of the non-diabetic patients had their wounds healed, with a statistically significant difference in survival curves in comparison between the groups. The Hazard Ratios (RH) of healing were lower for diabetic patients (HR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.02-0.97). The results show that there is a delay in wound healing in diabetic patients.