Treatment OF Foot Ulcer in Dallas, Plano & Prosper
Successful treatment of diabetic foot ulcers in Dallas, Plano
& Prosper consists of addressing these three basic issues: debridement, offloading,
and infection control.
Debridement
Debridement consists of removal of all necrotic tissue, peri-wound
callus, and foreign bodies down to viable tissue. Proper debridement is
necessary to decrease the risk of infection and reduce peri-wound pressure,
which can impede normal wound contraction and healing. After debridement, the
wound should be irrigated with saline or cleanser, and a dressing should be
applied.
In case of an abscess, incision and drainage are essential, with
debridement of all abscessed tissue. Many limbs have been saved by timely
incision and drainage procedures; conversely, many limbs have been lost by
failure to perform these procedures. Treating a deep abscess with antibiotics
alone leads to delayed appropriate therapy and further morbidity and mortality.
Offloading
Having patients use a
wheelchair or crutches to completely halt weight bearing on the affected foot
is the most effective method of offloading to heal a foot ulceration. Total
contact casts (TCCs) are difficult and time consuming to apply but
significantly reduce pressure on wounds and have been shown to heal between 73
and 100% of all wounds treated with them.
Inappropriate application
of TCCs may result in new ulcers, and TCCs are contraindicated in deep or
draining wounds or for use with noncompliant, blind, morbidly obese, or
severely vascularly compromised patients.
Clinicians often prefer
removable cast walkers because they do not have some of the disadvantages of
TCCs.
Postoperative shoes or
wedge shoes are also used and must be large enough to accommodate bulky
dressings. Proper offloading remains the biggest challenge for clinicians
dealing with diabetic foot ulcers.
Infection control
Antibiotics selected to treat severe or
limb-threatening infections should include coverage of gram-positive and
gram-negative organisms and provide both aerobic and anaerobic coverage.
Patients with such wounds should be hospitalized and treated with intravenous
antibiotics.
Mild to moderate infections with localized cellulitis can be
treated on an outpatient basis with oral antibiotics such as cephalexin,
amoxicillin with clavulanate potassium, moxifloxacin, or clindamycin. The antibiotics
should be started after initial cultures are taken and changed as necessary.
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