HEALTHWockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central introduces a path-breaking treatment for Diabetic Foot Ulcer
Sitting Dr Behram Pardiwalla, Director Internal Medicines (L-R) Dr Parag Rindani, CEO Maharashtra, Wockhardt Group of Hospitals, Dr Vijay Sharma, Director Regenerative Therapy, Dr Shraddha Deshpande, Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Wockhardt Hospitals launches Diabetic Foot Ulcer clinic (DFU) to reduce chances of foot amputation due to Diabetes by using “Growth Factor Concentrate Therapy” (GFC). This is a path breaking therapy where growth factors derived from the patient’s own platelets are further purified and used as an acellular growth factor giving consistent quality and quantity. This advanced therapy has a high scope of preventing diabetic foot amputation and the clinical studies has shown resounding success.
India has approximately 77 million diabetic patients – the second highest in the world. DFU is a full-thickness wound penetrating through the skin located below the ankle in a diabetic patient. Around 12% to 15% of diabetic patients suffer from DFU at least once in a lifetime. With age and advancing disease, the risk for limb amputation and foot ulcers is high. The mortality rate for people who undergo lower extremity amputation due to a DFU remains alarming, more than half of people with a major leg amputation will be dead in 5 years.
During the launch of DFU clinic, Dr. Parag Rindani, CEO, Wockhardt Group of Hospitals (Maharashtra) said “This the first of its kind multi speciality therapeutic approach which is being used for diabetic foot ulcer, because it has been augmented by Growth Factor Concentrate, and supported by all conventional therapies and superspecialists. As a group this team has come together to be able to bring relief to patients suffering from DFU.”
Dr Behram Pardiwala, Director, Internal Medicine, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central says, “India is the second largest diabetic country in the world and diabetes as we all are aware is a silent killer. People with diabetes develop corn, callouses, rough skin which further develop into full-fledged ulcers. Such patients should immediately seek medical assistance to avoid deeper ulceration and gangrene. Our team of researchers have successfully used GFC on patients to prevent diabetic foot amputation. We have used this therapy on about 50 to 52 patients so far who had come to us with Stage 1 (Foot at Risk) and Stage 2 (Ulcerated Foot) and Stage 3 (Crippled foot) wound or ulcer. Using a multidisciplinary approach and GFC, we have got astounding results. This therapy helps to avoid amputation which is the worst form of trauma for any diabetic patient.”
During the launch of this clinic, Mr. Vijay Sharma, Director, Regenerative Medicine, Wockhardt Hospitals said,”Chronic wounds have an enormous impact on the quality of life and health of patients and their families but are often an underestimated malady. By stimulating the body’s own repair mechanism, regenerative medicine offers the promise to regenerate chronic non healing wounds using autologous growth factors derived from the patient’s own blood cells. Growth Factors are type of molecules that not only stimulates cell growth as the name suggests but also affect several other aspects of cell structure and mechanism. The activation of platelets releases several growth factors, and our research has demonstrated successful results in healing ulcerative wounds.”
According to Dr. Shraddha Deshpande, Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai, “India lacks awareness not only in diabetes but also, its relationship with other complications associated with it. According to WHO every 30 seconds, a limb is lost in the world due to diabetes. There are 4 stages of diabetic foot ulcer development and usually Indian patients are coming to us in Stage 3 and Stage 4 state. Our clinic aims to raise awareness regarding DFU so that they can be identified and treated earlier”.
With the use of GFC, wounds have healed rapidly as compared to conventional ways of treatment, many a times preventing the need for surgery. GFC is a high-quality patient care therapy that helps to prevent amputation amongst DFU patients in terms of having a negative impact on a patient’s quality of life and the burden on the healthcare system.