Timing of minor and major amputation in patients with diabetes‐related foot ulceration admitted to two public tertiary referral hospitals in Australia

Background There is limited information regarding the number of patients with diabetes‐related foot ulceration (DFU) who receive minor or major amputation, and how quickly these amputations occur. This study aimed to identify the incidence of index minor and major amputation among inpatients with DFU over 4 years, and where amputation occurred during the patient's index DFU‐related admission, investigate prognostic factors. Methods The incidence of index minor and major amputation, and the admission sequence during which amputation occurred were identified from DFU‐related admissions to two public hospitals during 2014–2018. Where minor or major amputation occurred during the patient's index DFU‐related admission, prognostic factors were investigated using logistic regression. Results DFU‐related hospital admissions were required by 564 patients. The incidence of minor amputation over 4 years was 34% (n = 193). The incidence of minor amputation during the patient's index DFU‐related admission was 28% (n = 155), which was associated with requiring revascularisation (odds ratio [OR] 2.33, 95% CI 1.53–3.55, P