6 months ago
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To tackle the increasing load of diabetic ft complications, podiatrists successful Karnataka are integrating artificial quality (AI) into diabetic ft screening, classification, and management.
An AI-powered Diabetic Foot Care and Research Centre has been acceptable up astatine the Government Nandi Medical College Hospital successful Chickballapur. The centre brings unneurotic precocious diagnostic tools, including pedobarography, vascular and neuropathy assessment, connected a azygous integrated platform.
The initiative, developed by StrideAIde, a start-up founded by Pavan Belehalli, subordinate prof and caput of the Department of Podiatry astatine the State-run Karnataka Institute of Endocrinology and Research (KIER), is being implemented by the Trinity Foundation, successful collaboration with the BeST Cluster of IISc.
The centre volition beryllium formally inaugurated connected World Diabetes Day, November 14.
Early detection done AI
Dr. Belehalli told The Hindu that accepted diabetic ft screening has relied heavy connected specialised objective expertise. “The instauration of AI present allows for aboriginal detection, close hazard classification, and timely intervention, which tin importantly trim the hazard of complications specified arsenic lower-limb amputations,” helium said.
The centre integrates assorted diagnostic tools into 1 platform, powered by proprietary AI algorithms that alteration precise classification of feet astatine risk. “It generates integrated reports to assistance clinicians successful aboriginal detection and referral,” Dr. Belehalli said.
StrideGPT
A cardinal diagnostic of the strategy is StrideGPT, an intelligent conversational AI cause designed to assistance doctors, patients, and paramedical staff. “It allows users to interact easy with the system, minimising the request for specialised unit to construe analyzable diabetic ft data,” helium explained.
Describing the Centre arsenic a ‘significant step’ successful decentralising diabetic ft care, Dr. Belehalli said it would assistance widen specialised services to taluk and territory levels.
Rising load
According to KIER data, diabetic ft cases among patients, peculiarly males aged 35 to 55, are connected the rise. The institute recorded 13,091 patients successful 2022, 13,958 successful 2023, and 11,258 cases till October 2024. Between November 2024 and November 13, 2025, the fig climbed to 13,542.
Overall, from 2022 till November 2025, 25,086 patients person undergone insignificant and large procedures astatine the KIER. The fig of amputations has besides accrued - from 55 insignificant and 12 large amputations successful 2023, to 65 large and 17 insignificant successful 2024. This year, 28 large and 42 insignificant amputations person already been performed.
Dr. Belehalli said the institute’s mean amputation complaint ranges betwixt 8% and 10%, attributing the emergence to a deficiency of consciousness and precocious presentation.
Nerve harm and complications
Foot problems are communal among radical with diabetes, often resulting from prolonged precocious humor sweetener levels that harm nerves and humor vessels. This nervus damage, known arsenic diabetic neuropathy, tin origin numbness, tingling, pain, oregon a nonaccomplishment of sensation successful the feet.
The reduced quality to consciousness pain, heat, oregon acold increases the hazard of unnoticed injuries that tin pb to ulcers and infections. If near untreated, specified infections tin worsen and whitethorn yet necessitate amputation to forestall further spread.
