C10 - Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) Consortium (DFC): Orthotics in Prevention and Management of DFU

Up to 34% of people with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime and half of foot ulcers become infected. Each year about 100,000 Amer¬icans with diabetes will lose part of their lower limb because a foot ulcer becomes infected or does not heal. The Diabetic Foot Consortium (DFC), funded by the National Institutes of Health, is the first-ever multicenter network to study diabetic foot ulcers. The ongoing studies at DFC focus on development of DFU biomarkers. Offloading measures using personalized Orthotics devices are Critical part of management strategies for modulating excess pressure to prevent development of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), Such approaches are also key in preventing re-ulceration. This session will discuss clinical research initiatives at the DFC clinical network. Clinical guidelines of offloading methods in prevention of primary diabetic foot ulcers and the recurrences of healed ulcers will also be discussed.