Today in India there are over 45 million diabetes patients and an estimated 50,000 amputations occurring per year due to diabetes related foot problems.  In the diabetic patients, due to nerve damage and poor blood supply of the foot, various deformities of the toes and feet occur. This causes areas of raised pressures in the soles of the feet, where ulcers develop. These ulcers act as portals for the entry for bacteria leading to serious infections, which can result in amputations or even death.

The concept of surgical correction for the diabetic foot and ankle deformity has recently evolved as a means to correct foot deformities secondary to long standing diabetes. This re-shaping of a deformed foot or toes by surgical correction is presently being done in a few selected centers only in U.S, U.K, Russia and Germany. These surgeries help to prevent the formation of callus and ulcers of the foot and thus, these surgeries can prevent amputations in diabetics.

Over-riding of the big toe and crowding of toes can cause skin breakdown thus resulting in ulcers and infection. SCARF surgery is the corrective surgery to bring the toes to their normal position (as shown in case 1 & 2 ). If the foot is not properly aligned, then again high pressures build-up in the soles causing ulceration. TENDON TRANSFER surgery will correct the alignment and prevent ulcers, and eventually amputations (also shown  as case 3 ). CHARCOTS FOOT is a severe complication of diabetes, which leads to erosions, and collapse of the foot and ankle bones, which in turn lead to marked deformities and ulcerations. Different types of surgical corrections, like TRIPLE ARTHRODHESIS, PLATE FIXATION of fractured foot bones in Charcots Foot etc, are carried out so as to normalize the shape and function of these grossly deformed feet.  (Shown in case 4 ). Press Confference--photos

The Department of Endocrinology, Diabetic lower limb and Podiatric surgery, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences And Research Center, Kochi, Kerala, India is the only center in Asia where these corrective surgeries are being performed exclusively in high risk Diabetic foot patients. By employing these novel surgical techniques a large number of amputations, in patients with Diabetic foot ulcers and deformed diabetic feet can be prevented.

Members of this team are Dr.Ajit Kuamr Varma, Dr.Mangalanandan, Dr.Arun Bal and Dr.Harish Kumar.