Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permitted the marketing of the Dermapace System, the first shock wave device intended to treat diabetic foot ulcers.
“Diabetes is the leading cause of lower limb amputations,” said Binita Ashar, M.D., director of the division of surgical devices in FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The FDA is dedicated to making technologies available that can help improve the quality of life for those with chronic diseases. Additional options for successfully treating and healing ulcer wounds may help prevent lower limb amputations.”
An estimated 30.3 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes damages blood vessels and nerves, particularly in the feet, and can lead to severe infections that are difficult to treat. About 25 percent of people with diabetes will experience a foot ulcer in their lifetime. Amputation is sometimes necessary when circulation is so poor that a foot ulcer fails to heal or when treatment fails to stop the spread of an infection … read more