الفهرس 
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Abstract
Diabetic foot infection is a common health problem, presenting most commonly with ulcer, abscess or gangrene therefore the most common surgical treatment is debridement, incision and drainage, minor or major amputation.
In conclusion, alginate seems more appropriate for topical treatment of diabetic foot lesions in several respects. Our study demonstrated better efficacy of alginate in terms of healing. The alginate dressing was shown to exhibit better tolerance and required a lower number of dressing changes. This is of importance for cost-benefit ratio because nurse wage and traveling expenses represent the most important cost factor in the topical treatment of diabetic foot lesions.
Care of diabetic foot includes preventive measures (like patient education of proper foot care, avoidance of localized trauma, and daily foot inspections), wound care, aggressive debridement, good glycemic control either by insulin or oral hypoglycemic drugs and proper antibiotic according to culture and sensitivity, those measures could lead to dramatic reduction in amputations rate.
The patient should be informed by the following instructions:
1- Inspect your feet twice daily . Look all over the feet for cracks, blisters, reddened spots, cuts, and ulcers or for excessively moist skin between the toes.
2- Bath your feet daily with warm water and mild soap. Dry gently and carefully between the toes . Blot, do not rub.
3- Never use heating pads, hot water bottles, or any other heat source to warm your feet, irreparable damage can be done in a minute . Wear socks in bed if your feet are cold at night .
4- Skin calluses and corns. Do not use chemical agents or medicated pads, these can cause burns, do not perform bathroom surgery with a razor blade, use a pumice stone or foot file to reduce calluses gently at bath time, keep the skin moist regularly to prevent cracking and infection by using a gentle skin lotion, a very thin layer of petroleum jelly can also be used to seal in moisture after the bath and do not put creams, lotions, or ointments between the toes.
5- Trimming nails straight, do not attempt to dig out the corners.
6- Make sure shoes are long and wide enough and have enough room for the toes, especially if they are clawed . Avoid synthetic material that do not breathe. Leather is still generally the best material because it shapes and stretches. Avoid shoes made of hard materials eg. plastic or patent leather.
7- Avoid stockings elastic topes or garters. Wash and change stocking daily. Stockings made of absorbent, natural materials such as cotton and wool are best.
8- Be sure that your physician examines your feet periodically.
9- Better results of treatment can be obtained if the following instruction are carried out :
- Aggressive debridement of infected and necrotic wounds is essential to achieving the quickest and the most dependable healing.
- Adequate control of blood sugar.
- Evaluation of the vascularity of the foot and early management.
- Hospitalization and bed rest during the period of treatment and administration of appropriate antibiotics. Treatment of all patients according to depth – ischemic classification of diabetic foot, helps in proper management and give a good prognosis.
- Strict medical control of the diabetic process, with prompt wound care management along with preventive measures, lowers morbidity associated with lower extremity diabetic ulcers.