Asola Diabetology Center Leads Foot Transplants, Improving Healing Rates
Asola – It is, at the provincial level, the point of reference for the treatment of diabetic foot. Last year, Dr. Mario Iorini, head of Medicine at Asola who oversees the service, performed, with his team, as many as 40 skin transplants. This year, the number is expected to at least double.
And the transplant, when feasible, allows the healing time to be halved. The diabetology center at Asola hospital is thus operating at full capacity. The specialization has also attracted many patients from outside the province.
Activities and results of the diabetology center
In 2000 alone, including the facilities in Castel Goffredo, Bozzolo, and Campitello, 3,383 people were treated, while the number of visits exceeded 6,300. And the figure is expected to increase.
For a patient affected by the disease, foot care is of utmost importance. Diabetes, in fact, reduces blood circulation to the extremities and also damages the nerves (resulting in less sensitivity to pain and heat).
A wrong toenail cut, calluses, tight shoes, or sunburns can lead to ulcer formation, and because diabetics have difficulty defending themselves against infections, the injuries can become severe enough to require amputation of a toe and sometimes even a leg.
Interventions and therapeutic treatments
“But the transplant,” explains Dr. Iorini, “is effective only if arterial circulation in the lower limbs is improved, which can be achieved through angioplasty performed in the vascular surgery department in Mantova.” If the outcome is positive, the procedure proceeds.
The goal is to “close” the ulcer, which can sometimes be quite large. “A piece of skin is taken from the thigh,” explains the head of the center, “and sent to the laboratories of a company in Padova. There, it is cultivated to create new layers, which are ready after 18 days. First, a layer of fibroblasts is applied, followed by the second layer (keratinocytes), which constitutes the actual skin.”
However, sometimes a single sheet is not enough. It is a treatment that can last several months, but ultimately, the lesion disappears, and the patient recovers.
Services and territorial presence
Currently, around 50 visits are performed daily across four diabetology centers in Asola. There are three specialists, including the head of the center, all of whom are available every day at the centers in Castel Goffredo, Bozzolo, and Campitello.
The service includes four dedicated clinics in the afternoon: the first for pregnant diabetics, the second for children in collaboration with a pediatrician, the third for patient education regarding foot hygiene, diet, and insulin injection techniques, and the fourth for neuropathy testing to identify nerve involvement caused by diabetic disease.
