To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of antibiotic bone cement in the treatment of diabetic foot osteomyelitis.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 41 patients with diabetic foot osteomyelitis who met the inclusion criteria and were admitted to the Department of Wound Repair Surgery, Zhongshan Yuantian Orthopedic Hospital, from October 2023 to October 2024. All patients underwent one-stage thorough debridement with implantation of antibiotic bone cement into the wound cavity, followed by two-stage removal of the bone cement and definitive wound repair using skin grafting, flap transfer, or direct softtissue closure. Among them, there were 29 males and 12 females, with a mean age of (60.98±8.82) years; 22 cases involved the left foot and 19 cases involved the right foot. The length of hospital stay, postoperative recurrence, and complications were analyzed, with a follow-up period of 6 months postoperatively.

Postoperative infection was effectively controlled in all patients, and the wounds healed satisfactorily. No recurrence was observed during the follow-up period. The duration of the first hospitalization was (3.73±1.05) days, the duration of the second hospitalization for reconstructive surgery was (9.32±1.01) days, and the total hospitalization duration was (13.05±1.34) days. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score at 6 months postoperatively was (60.02±9.05) points.

The treatment strategy of one-stage debridement combined with antibiotic bone cement implantation followed by two-stage definitive wound reconstructive surgery can effectively control infection and promote wound healing in diabetic foot osteomyelitis.