SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (Good Things Utah) – Introducing Dr. Anna Hronek, an Intermountain Health podiatrist specializing in foot and ankle care, including diabetic foot care and Charcot reconstruction. Joining her on this journey is Deb Eaton, a diabetic patient whose experience underscores the significance of proactive foot health management.

Diabetic foot problems, chronic wounds, and a critical lack of blood supply to a limb, known as ischemia, are three major health concerns and a common cause of hospitalization; that’s why Intermountain Health has established a new Limb Preservation Program.

During 2023, 400 amputations were made at Intermountain Health Hospitals, 147 major amputations and 253 minor amputations. The goal of the new program is to identify and treat patients with threatened limbs related to critical ischemia, diabetic foot, and chronic wounds in hopes of reducing amputation rates and maintaining functional limbs.

One of those patients who has already benefited from the new program is Debra Eaton of Clinton, Utah. Eaton has diabetes and had not heard of Charcot or Diabetic Foot. She teaches science at West Point Jr. High and is in her 34th year of teaching.

Her foot started swelling, and she thought she was too much on her feet and needed to put them up after being on them all day. She had multiple fractures and was using a scooter for 18 months to keep weight off it. However, her foot did not get better, and Dr. Anna Hronek diagnosed her with Charcot, or Diabetic Foot, and told her her foot was a bag of bones.

On October 5, 2022, she had surgery to reconstruct her foot, which included a 12-inch rod. She had to learn to rewalk. Eaton is grateful that Dr. Hronek saved her foot. Eaton went back to work in March 2023 but in a wheelchair. At the end of May, she finally got to wear shoes. She’s now looking forward to hiking. She wants others to be aware and to know their options. 

The Intermountain Health Limb Preservation team comprises vascular surgeons, wound care physicians, hyperbaric physicians, an infectious disease team, podiatrists, advanced practice providers, and technicians and nurses. Working together, the Intermountain Limb Preservation program coordinates and streamlines the process for patients to obtain the appropriate care.

Who is at risk?

Foot problems in people with diabetes can be severe. They can lead to deformed feet, wounds that won’t heal and severe infections that require surgery. In fact, diabetes-related foot problems are a leading reason for leg and foot amputations.

Why are foot problems common in people with diabetes?

In people with diabetes, high blood glucose can cause nerve damage and poor circulation. Nerve damage or neuropathy from high blood glucose usually begins in the hands and feet. It can cause painful symptoms such as tingling, aching, or throbbing. It can also reduce a person’s ability to feel cold, heat, or pain in their feet. As a result, they might not know that they have an injury or infection.

In people with diabetes, even a small blister or stubbed toe can become a severe problem. Poor circulation happens when high blood glucose damages the blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the feet. This means that injuries take longer to heal. Over time, poor circulation in the feet can even change the shape of the feet and toes. This can cause problems with walking.

How to prevent foot problems:

• The best way to prevent foot problems is to take care of your feet daily.

• Follow your diabetes treatment plan to control your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol. If you’re having trouble with any part of your treatment (medicines, meal plans, or exercise), talk to your diabetes care team. Work with them to decide what’s right for you.

• Keep your doctor’s appointments and get a foot exam at least once a year. Foot exams help detect foot problems early when they are easier to treat.

For more information on the Limb Preservation Program, call 801-507-LIMB (5462) or click here for details on Intermountain Health’s Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine.

Sponsored by Intermountain Health