Diabetes is present in 16 million Americans. Half of all lower extremity amputations in this country occur in this patient group (1). In most cases, the amputation is needed when a foot ulcer does not heal. The incidence of diabetic foot ulcers is 1–4%, whereas the prevalence is 5–10% (2,3). A patient with diabetes has a 15% risk for developing a foot ulcer during his/her lifetime. Six to ten percent of hospitalizations in patients with diabetes are for treatment of foot ulcers; these admissions are about one-quarter of the hospital days in this group of patients.