Usefulness of Procalcitonin in Diagnosing Diabetic Foot Osteomyelitis

A Pilot Study

Venkat N. Vangaveti, PhD; Oliver G. Heyes, MD; Shaurya Jhamb, MD; Nagaraja Haleagrahara, PhD; Usman H. Malabu, MD, FACP, FRACP

Disclosures

Wounds. 2021;33(7):192-196.

Limitations

The sensitivity of PCT in differentiating DFO from cellulitis was modest, which may be due to the small sample size in the study. Also, a larger sample size with specific location of osteomyelitis would enable a better analysis of diagnostic parameters in different regions of the foot; for example, forefoot vs midfoot or hindfoot infections with locations having a correlation with risk of amputations could be analyzed.

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Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of Patients
VARIABLE	OSTEOMYELITIS (n=19) (%)	CONTROL (n=18) (%)	P VALUE	OR (95% CI)
Sex, m	84.2	61.1	.15	3.6 (0.7–16.1)
Age, y	62.0±12	65.0±8.0	.5^a	^_b
Indigenous identified	33.3	16.7	.4	0.4 (0.08–1.9)
Current alcohol consumption	28.0	33.3	1.0	0.7 (0.2–3.4)
Current smoker	5.6	20.0	.3	0.2 (0.02–2.5)
Type 1 diabetes	26.3	11.1	.4	2.8 (0.5–2.0)
Type 2 diabetes	73.7	89.0	.4	0.3 (0.05–2.0)
Insulin	84.2	73.3	.7	1.9 (0.4–11.1)
Took OHAs	50.0	67.0	.3	0.5 (0.12–2.0)
Retinopathy	79.0	69.0	.7	1.7 (0.37–8.3)
Dyslipidemia	59.0	79.0	.3	0.4 (0.1–2.0)
CAD	33.3	47.0	.5	0.6 (0.2–2.5)
PVD	59.0	40.0	.5	2.1 (0.52–9.0)
Amputation (non-traumatic)	59.0	47.0	.7	1.6 (0.41–6.6)
HTN	89.0	86.0	1.0	1.4 (0.2–10.0)
Neutrophils (×10⁹/L)	3.6±2.6	2.4±1.1	.1^a	_^b
Platelets (×10⁹/L)	155.0±73.0	139.0±106.5	.6^a	–^b
Monocytes (×10⁹/L)	0.52±0.24	0.30±0.12	.1^a	–^b
Lymhocytes (×10⁹/L)	0.37±0.21	0.50±0.23	.1^a	–^b

^aCalculated with Student's t test
^bNot applicable
OR: odds ratio; M: male; y: year(s); OHAs: oral hypoglycemic agents; CAD: coronary artery disease; PVD: peripheral vascular disease; HTN: hypertension