School of Podiatric Medicine - Medical Student Research
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
2024
Abstract
Objective: The energy cost of walking in amputees is often cited in modern scientific literature and clinical rationales for determining amputation levels. However, many referenced papers do not study diabetic populations with partial foot amputations (PFAs) – relatively widespread conditions in podiatric patient populations. Commonly cited papers include Waters (1976), which is significantly dated, Goktepe (2010), which studies traumatic PFAs in a military academy, and Jeans (2011), which studies traumatic PFAs in pediatric populations. These papers do not study diabetic populations and PFAs specifically. We hoped to find a study population more reflective of diabetic patients with PFAs.
Methods: We performed a scoping review to evaluate the current body of literature concerning 1) diabetic populations, 2) partial foot amputations, and 3) energy expenditure. Our review drew from databases PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with search terms “Diabet*”, “Partial Foot Amputation”, and “Energy Expenditure” (scoped measurements included oxygen cost/VO2, walking velocity, heart rate, and Total Heartbeat Index (THBI) in timed walk tests.). Candidate articles were removed if they were not in English, were duplicates, were not original research, were published before 1990, or if we did not have access to the full text. Articles were included if they passed screening by both reviewers.
Results: Our review shows that no recent studies have compared the effects of different PFA levels on energy expenditure in diabetic populations.
Conclusions: The current body of literature may not fully represent diabetic patients with PFAs. We hope that more research into the relationship of gait energy expenditure in diabetic PFAs will better elucidate ideal levels of amputation in diabetic patients, and thus improve patient outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Obias, Nicholas; Mehaffey, Madeleine G.; and Killeen, Amanda, "Energy Expenditure in Partial-Foot Amputees with Diabetes: A Scoping Review" (2024). School of Podiatric Medicine - Medical Student Research. 9.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/sopm_mspub/9
