Complications After the Use of Trans-Tibial Prostheses in Patients With Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Many factors are affected after amputation and prosthetic use in patients with diabetes mellitus. Our study aimed to evaluate complications, satisfaction, and walking ability of patients with diabetes following 1 year of using trans-tibial prostheses.

METHODS

The participants were diabetic patients with a history of using PTB-SC transtibial prostheses design. Demographic and residual limb characteristics were collected. Twenty-seven participants were included. A modified Orthotics Prosthetics Users Survey (OPUS) questionnaire, 2-min walk test, and Visual Analogue Scale were used to evaluate satisfaction and complications, walking ability, and pain at rest, respectively. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Normality of the data was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. The types of complications were grouped. The effect of the type of complication on walking ability and satisfaction was evaluated using one-way analysis of variance. All statistical tests and calculations were performed using SPSS software.

RESULTS

The most common complications are put in four groups (group 1: volume change (11.1%), group 2: pain (during activity) (59.2%), group 3: redness(14.8%), and group 4: non-complication(14.8%)). The mean for walking ability was 94.0 ± 36.7 m, satisfaction was 66.8 ± 5.8, and pain (at rest) was 20 (0,70). Pain (during activity) was the most common complication. The effect of type of complication on the walking ability and satisfaction, revealed no significant differences (p = 0.12, p = 0.057), with partial ŋ 2 = 0.21 and 0.27, indicating a large effect size, respectively. Post-hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test indicated that the mean score for group 3 was significantly different from group 4 (MD: 11.1, SD: 3.9) in evaluating the effect of the type of complications on the satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

This study provides valuable insights into the experiences of individuals with diabetic amputations. Addressing complications and optimizing prosthetic design, alignment, and fitting are essential for enhancing functional outcomes and improving the overall quality of life of this population.