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Care of a Diabetic Foot Ulcer

Anyone who has diabetes is at risk of developing a foot ulcer. Foot ulcers form easily in diabetics because they have poor blood circulation in their feet combined with loss of feeling. If you have diabetes, you should check your feet every day and take precautions to keep foot ulcers from forming. Once diabetic ulcers form, they can be difficult to heal.

  1. Prevent Infection

    • The goal of treating a diabetic foot ulcer is to prevent infection. Once an infection sets in, the wound can progress to the point of requiring amputation. To keep an ulcer free from infection, it is vital to keep blood glucose levels in control. High blood sugar can impair your immune response and make it more difficult to heal your ulcer. Clean the wound daily and keep it bandaged at all times. Do not go barefoot when you have an ulcer on your foot.

    Avoid Pressure

    • Relieve pressure on the ulcer by wearing special footwear or using crutches so you do not put pressure and irritation on the ulcer until it has healed. You may need to use a wheelchair so you can still get around without walking on your affected foot.

    Medication

    • Regranex is a gel medication used to treat diabetic ulcers. The ulcer should be smeared with Regranex once daily using a cotton swab. After applying the medication, your ulcer should be covered with a clean saline dressing. In 12 hours remove the dressing, rinse the ulcer with saline or water and cover with a new saline dressing for 12 more hours. At that time, reapply the Regranex and repeat the procedure. Diabetic ulcers need air circulation to heal but according to the American Podiatric Medical Association, ulcers heal much faster if they are kept covered and moist as with a saline bandage. Saline is a salt water solution that can be purchased at a drugstore or medical supply store. Simply soak the bandage in the saline solution before applying it to your ulcer so it keeps your ulcer moist.

    Surgery

    • If the ulcer becomes infected, surgery may be required. Your doctor may perform a skin graft. This involves moving healthy skin from another area of your body, from a donor or a bioengineered source, and transplanting it over your ulcer so it will heal faster. You may also need a debridement, which is the surgical removal of the dead tissue surrounding your ulcer. Your doctor may try bypass surgery, which improves the flow of blood through your leg and foot to help speed healing. If all other methods fail, a surgical amputation may be required to prevent the infection from spreading throughout your body.

    Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

    • Hyperbaric therapy is often used to treat wounds that otherwise will not heal. To receive this type of treatment, you enter a small chamber that is pumped with oxygen while the atmospheric pressure is lowered inside. This increases the amount of oxygen in your blood, which helps the ulcer to heal.

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