J Cardiovasc Surg
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Diabetic foot ulcers are a major health care problem. Complications of foot ulcers are a leading cause of hospitalization and amputation in diabetic patients. Diabetic ulcers result from neuropathy or ischemia. ⋯ Indeed, improvement in ulcer healing has been observed with primary healing rates of 65-85% in mixed series. Even when healed, diabetic foot should be regarded as a life-long condition and treated accordingly to prevent recurrence. Long-term efforts have reduced amputation 37-75% in different European countries over 10-15 years.