Can the introduction of a 12-lead ECG help reduce mortality in those presenting with foot ulceration to multidisciplinary diabetic foot clinics? An observational evaluation of a real-world implementation pilot in England.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The risk of dying within 2 years of presentation with diabetic foot ulceration is over six times the risk of amputation, with CVD the major contributor. Using an observational evaluation of a real-world implementation pilot, we aimed to assess whether for those presenting with diabetic foot ulceration in England, introducing a 12-lead ECG into routine care followed by appropriate clinical action was associated with reduced mortality. METHODS: Between July 2014 and December 2017, ten multidisciplinary diabetic foot services in England participated in a pilot project introducing 12-lead ECGs for new attendees with foot ulceration. Inception coincided with launch of the National Diabetes Footcare Audit (NDFA), whereby all diabetic footcare services in England were invited to enter data on new attendees with foot ulceration. Poisson regression models assessed the mortality RR at 2 and 5 years following first assessment of those receiving care in a participating pilot unit vs those receiving care in any other unit in England, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, deprivation, type and duration of diabetes, ulcer severity, and morbidity in the year prior to first assessment. RESULTS: Of the 3110 people recorded in the NDFA at a participating unit during the pilot, 33% (1015) were recorded as having received an ECG. A further 25,195 people recorded in the NDFA had attended another English footcare service. Unadjusted mortality in the pilot units was 16.3% (165) at 2 years and 37.4% (380) at 5 years for those who received an ECG, and 20.5% (430) and 45.2% (950), respectively, for those who did not receive an ECG. For people included in the NDFA at other units, unadjusted mortality was 20.1% (5075) and 42.6% (10,745), respectively. In the fully adjusted model, mortality was not significantly lower for those attending participating units at 2 (RR 0.93 [95% CI 0.85, 1.01]) or 5 years (RR 0.95 [95% CI 0.90, 1.01]). At participating units, mortality in those who received an ECG vs those who did not was lower at 5 years (RR 0.86 [95% CI 0.76, 0.97]), but not at 2 years (RR 0.87 [95% CI 0.72, 1.04]). Comparing just those that received an ECG with attendees at all other centres in England, mortality was lower at 5 years (RR 0.87 [95% CI 0.78, 0.96]), but not at 2 years (RR 0.86 [95% CI 0.74, 1.01]). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The evaluation confirms the high mortality seen in those presenting with diabetic foot ulceration. Overall mortality at the participating units was not significantly reduced at 2 or 5 years, with confidence intervals just crossing parity. Implementation of the 12-lead ECG into the routine care pathway proved challenging for clinical teams-overall a third of attendees had one, although some units delivered the intervention to over 60% of attendees-and the evaluation was therefore underpowered. Nonetheless, the signals of potential mortality benefit among those who had an ECG suggest that units in a position to operationalise implementation may wish to consider this. DATA AVAILABILITY: Data from the National Diabetes Audit can be requested through the National Health Service Digital Data Access Request Service process at: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/data-access-request-service-dars/dars-products-and-services/data-set-catalogue/national-diabetes-audit-nda.

Management of adults with diabetes on dialysis: Summary of recommendations of the Joint British Diabetes Societies guidelines 2022.

Diabetes is the commonest cause of end-stage kidney disease in many parts of the world, and many people on dialysis programmes live with diabetes. Such people are vulnerable to complications from their diabetes, and their care may be fragmented due to the many specialists involved. This updated guidance from the Joint British Diabetes Societies aims to review and update the 2016 guidance, with particular emphasis on glycaemic monitoring in the light of recent advances in this area. In addition, the guidance covers clinical issues related to the management of diabetes in people on peritoneal dialysis, along with acute complications such as hypoglycaemia and ketoacidosis, and chronic complications such as foot and eye disease.

High-Dose Cholecalciferol Booster Therapy is Associated with a Reduced Risk of Mortality in Patients with COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Multi-Centre Observational Study.

The worldwide pandemic of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has posed the most substantial and severe public health issue for several generations, and therapeutic options have not yet been optimised. Vitamin D (in its "parent" form, cholecalciferol) has been proposed in the pharmacological management of COVID-19 by various sources. We aimed to determine whether COVID-19 mortality was affected by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels, vitamin D status, or cholecalciferol therapy, and to elucidate any other predictors of COVID-19 mortality. Patients hospitalised with COVID-19 were opportunistically recruited from three UK hospitals, and their data were collected retrospectively. Logistic regression was used to determine any relationships between COVID-19 mortality and potential predictors, including 25(OH)D levels and cholecalciferol booster therapy. A total of 986 participants with COVID-19 were studied, of whom 151 (16.0%) received cholecalciferol booster therapy. In the primary cohort of 444 patients, cholecalciferol booster therapy was associated with a reduced risk of COVID-19 mortality, following adjustment for potential confounders (ORadj 0.13, 95% CI 0.05-0.35, p < 0.001). This finding was replicated in a validation cohort of 541 patients (ORadj 0.38, 95% CI 0.17-0.84, p = 0.018). In this observational study, treatment with cholecalciferol booster therapy, regardless of baseline serum 25(OH)D levels, appears to be associated with a reduced risk of mortality in acute in-patients admitted with COVID-19. Further work with large population studies needs to be carried out to determine adequate serum 25(OH)D levels, as well as multi-dose clinical trials of cholecalciferol therapy to assess maximum efficacy.

Altered mental state and the Whipple triad.

A 47-year-old man presented with episodes of altered mental state initially felt to be complex partial seizures, but which were in fact hypoglycaemic episodes. An insulinoma was confirmed and eventually localised. He underwent an abdominal computed tomography scan and intraoperative laparoscopy, but required selective venous sampling to localise the tumour. Fifteen months after his surgery there is no evidence of recurrence of his insulinoma.

Gastrointestinal motor function in diabetes mellitus: Relationship to blood glucose concentrations.

The application of novel investigative techniques has established that there is a high prevalence of disordered gastrointestinal motor function in patients with diabetes mellitus and has provided insights into its pathogenesis and clinical significance. Acute changes in the blood glucose concentration, even within the normal postprandial range, affect both gastrointestinal motor function and the perception of sensations arising from the gastrointestinal tract. Gastric emptying is slower during hyperglycaemia and accelerated during hypoglycaemia; the perception of gastric distension is greater during hyperglycaemia than euglycaemia. The pathways mediating the effects of the blood glucose concentration on gut motility and sensation are poorly defined. The rate of gastric emptying is an important determinant of postprandial blood glucose concentrations and there is increasing evidence that gastric emptying can be modulated therapeutically in order to optimize glycaemic control in patients with diabetes.