"Welcoming Diabetic Foot Patients ... SMG Yonsei Hospital Operates 'Diabetic Foot Clinic'"

Vascular Recanalization Procedures for Diabetic Foot Patients
Focusing on Improving Survival Rates

SMG Yonsei Hospital is operating a 'Diabetic Foot Clinic' to prevent lower limb amputation in diabetic foot patients and to improve their quality of life.

SMG Yonsei Hospital Yoonkyu Song_Assistant Manager_Procedure Photo.

This clinic, led by Dr. Song Yoonkyu of the Department of Interventional Radiology, focuses on improving survival rates by performing vascular recanalization procedures for diabetic foot patients.

Diabetic foot vascular recanalization is a treatment that opens blocked blood vessels to promote proper blood circulation, playing a key role in saving the peripheral blood vessels of diabetic foot patients. This procedure opens occluded small arteries to facilitate blood flow to wounds on the toes or feet, overcomes tissue hypoxia, and supplies sufficient immune cells to aid wound healing.

Unlike treatments that require leg amputation, this method is a minimally invasive approach that preserves the leg and treats only the affected area. During the procedure, a small hole less than 2mm is made in the leg artery, and micro medical devices such as catheters, balloons, and stents are inserted.

Dr. Song Yoonkyu emphasized, "Performing appropriate vascular recanalization for diabetic foot patients can greatly reduce the risk of limb amputation, which directly leads to improved quality of life and increased survival rates for patients."

Approximately 1-3% of diabetic foot patients in Korea progress to lower limb amputation, and according to 2017 statistics, about 2,000 people experience foot amputation annually due to diabetic complications. Receiving timely and appropriate vascular recanalization can prevent limb amputation, which not only improves patients' quality of life but also significantly reduces social healthcare costs.

The Diabetic Foot Clinic at SMG Yonsei Hospital is built upon the high expertise of Dr. Song Yoonkyu, a specialist in interventional radiology. Dr. Song is also capable of performing EVAR (endovascular aneurysm repair), a procedure typically conducted at university hospitals, ensuring optimal and personalized treatment for diabetic foot patients. Precision diagnosis and procedures are performed using the latest angiography equipment, and the entire process is monitored in real time to enhance safety and accuracy. Based on research showing that a multidisciplinary approach is more effective than a single approach for diabetic foot treatment, the hospital plans to provide integrated, patient-centered care through a systematic collaborative system.

Hospital Director Park Sangje stated, "With the establishment of the Diabetic Foot Clinic, we are now able to provide more specialized and systematic treatment for diabetic foot patients in the region," adding, "We will continue our efforts to deliver patient-centered medical services to the local community."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.