Hospitalization and Health Resource Utilization in Emergency Department Cases of Diabetic Foot Infections in the U.S. from 2012 to 2021: A Nationally Representative Analysis

<b>Objectives:</b> The objective of this paper was to assess hospitalizations and health resource utilization associated with diabetic foot infection (DFI)-related visits within emergency departments (EDs) in the U.S. <b>Methods:</b> This nationally representative, cross-sectional historical cohort utilized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey across a ten-year period from 2012 to 2021. Inclusion criteria were as follows: adults ≥18 years of age; a diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus; presence of a DFI. Comparisons were drawn relative to a cohort of patients with diabetes without foot complications. Study outcomes included 72-hour (72 h) ED revisit, hospitalization, and length of stay (LOS). Top diagnoses and medications were also reported. Multivariable, generalized, linear regression analyses were employed, controlling for key demographics, health system factors, clinical characteristics, and year. <b>Results:</b> An estimated 150.6 million ED visits included a diabetes diagnosis, with 2.4 million involving a DFI (1.6%). Approximately half of DFI cases were hospitalized (43.7%). Anti-infective medications were prescribed in 83.1% of DFI cases, including vancomycin in 28.1%. Multivariable analyses observed that DFIs were associated with a 3.002 times higher odds of hospital admissions (CI: 2.145-4.203, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and a 55.0% longer LOS (IR = 1.550, CI: 1.241-1.936, <i>p</i> < 0.001). DFIs were not significantly associated with a 72 h ED revisit. <b>Conclusions:</b> This nationally representative study of 2.4 million DFI-related ED visits in the U.S. observed higher odds of hospital admissions and a longer LOS for DFIs versus diabetes without foot complications. Continued research should seek to assess prevention and coordinated treatment interventions prior to the emergence of DFIs requiring ED care.