An international task force on Charcot arthropathy, supported by unrestricted educational grants from Small Bone Innovations (SBi), New York, New York, and other orthopedics companies, has agreed on new recommendations for the effective treatment of Charcot foot.
The task force, comprised of experts in diabetic foot disorders and Charcot arthropathy, convened on January 31, 2011, at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France, by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), and reached a consensus on the definition, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and recommended treatment of Charcot foot. The task force report and recommendations will be published jointly in Diabetes Care and the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association (JAPMA) later this year and presented at scientific meetings of both associations.
“Our 18-member task force, representing six nations, discussed our frustration with the misdiagnoses, delayed diagnoses, and poor treatment of the Charcot foot,” Lee C. Rogers, DPM, co-chair of the task force and associate medical director of the Amputation Prevention Center at Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Los Angeles, California, said in an SBi press release. “The task force is excited about newer developing treatments, but first we need to combat things like lack of symptom recognition, ignorance of the consequences, and reluctance of doctors to prescribe effective treatments.”
“There are some distressing statistics linked to diabetes and its potential to devastate large portions of the global population but the one relating to avoidable amputations cries out for early intervention and diagnosis,” Anthony G. Viscogliosi, chairman and CEO of SBi, noted. “Our industry’s cooperation with foot and ankle specialists exemplified in this group represents a huge opportunity to dramatically alter outcomes and, in essence, restore hope by saving not only the form and function of the lower limb but ultimately extending life.”
