Near-toe amputation from prolonged compression stocking use

Description

A 73-year-old man was referred to the acute medical team by his general practitioner with a suspected diabetic footinfection. He had a background of type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic venous insufficiency and ulcers, peripheral vascular disease and deep venous thromboses (DVT).

The patient revealed that he had not removed his compression stockings for 4 months. He had chronic venous changes bilaterally, a swollen, erythematous right leg and foul-smelling discharge from his right foot with a deep wound at the base of his fourth toe due to compression by the distal edge of the stocking, with partial amputation of this digit (figure 1).

Figure 1

Photograph of patient's right foot showing near amputation of fourth toe.

X-ray of his foot (figure 2) showed bone destruction of the right fourth toe in keeping with osteomyelitis. Venous Doppler scans showed acute and chronic...

http://ift.tt/2uYaKHL