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Home Tag: "wound debridement"

Tag: wound debridement

17Mar
Foot wound treatment by podiatrist at DeNiel Foot and Ankle Center.
Foot ulcers are persistent wounds that typically form on the feet, frequently caused by poor blood flow, nerve impairment, or trauma.

Did you know that honey has been used for centuries to heal wounds? Ancient Egyptians believed in its properties, and modern science has backed up its antibacterial benefits. But when it comes to diabetic foot ulcers, honey alone won’t do it. These deep wounds require strategic diabetic foot care to heal effectively and prevent complications.

If you are living with diabetes, you know how tricky diabetic foot ulcers can be. They are stubborn, slow to heal, and sometimes feel like they are running the show. But here is the good news: with the right care and guidance, you can take control and speed up the healing process. At Deniel Foot & Ankle Center we help you navigate this journey. Let us dive into how you can heal deep wounds faster and keep your feet happy and healthy.

Read More “Speeding Up Healing: How to heal deep wounds faster”
Medical professional inspecting a foot wound with a finger pointing at the sore.
28Nov

diabetic foot ulcer

What Is Wound Care?

A wound occurs when the internal tissue is exposed to the skin, due to an external or internal injury. Most people conduct wound care at home but consult a podiatrist for proper diabetic wound care. Seek diabetic foot ulcer treatment from a podiatrist to avoid the development of complications that may lead to hospitalization of patients. Foot ulcers for diabetic patients can lead to amputation if wound care treatment is not well done.

Wound care treatment

There are basic principles for wound care; ensure you wear protective gear when attending to a wound.

  1. Hemostasis – Applied to significant wounds with bleeding to stop the bleeding. The bleeding is stopped by reducing the bleeding or aiding the hemostasis process. Some of the techniques used include elevation, suturing, pressure, or tourniquet.
  2. Cleaning the wound – This promotes healing and reduces the infection. Five main steps of wound cleaning are
    1. Disinfect all around the wound without getting detergents and alcohol into the injured area.
    2. Decontaminate by removing foreign bodies from the wound.
    3. Debride any tissues around the wound.
    4. Wet the wound with saline if no obvious contamination can be seen. Saline should be stored in a sterile container.
    5. For heavily soiled wounds, open foot fractures, puncture wounds, and animal bites use antibiotics. It is advisable to introduce antibiotics at the first sign of wound infection.
  3. Skin closure – This aids the wound healing using skin adhesive strips, tissue adhesive glue, sutures, and staples are some skin closure techniques for the edge of the wounds.
  4. Dress the wound – This effectively reduces contamination and infection of the injury. When dressing, the first layer should be saline-soaked, followed by an absorbent material layer to attract wound exudates. Finally, use a soft gauze to secure the dressing in place. It is advisable to get tetanus immunization if not already done.

Diabetic foot ulcer treatment

Patients using insulin are at a higher risk of developing a foot ulcer.  Also, for overweight people or people who use alcohol and tobacco the risk is high. A diabetic foot ulcer develops due to lack of feeling in the foot, trauma, foot deformities, and irritation. Pain may not be felt by diabetic patients. Seek podiatric medical care for diabetic foot ulcer treatment. This reduces the risk of wound infection leading to amputation. To appropriately treat a diabetic foot ulcer, ensure that you:

  • Prevent infections.
  • Offload or take the pressure off the wound.
  • Regularly remove dead tissue and skin from the wound.
  • Apply dressing and medication to the ulcer.
  • Manage blood glucose under tight control to avoid ulcer infection.
  • Clean the wound daily and dress it.
  • Ensure adequate circulation on the ulcerated area with the help of a podiatrist.
  • Surgical treatment – If other ulcer treatments are not effective, surgical management may be used to correct deformities and shave or excision the bone.

The time needed for healing depends on different factors including wound care management used and the diabetic foot ulcer treatment used.
Over at DeNiel Foot and Ankle Center  located in Houston, Texas, and covering surrounding areas like Cypress, and Katy, TX. Ejodamen Shobowale, DPM and her highly skilled staff provide personalized comprehensive care for all your podiatry and sport medicine needs. Whether the issue is foot-related like hammertoes, or toenail fungus or involves pain in the heel , nerves, or joints, Dr. Sho, as she is fondly called, can get you back on your feet in no time.

Deep leg wound with surgical incision and surrounding tissue damage.
29Mar

Deep leg wound with surgical incision and surrounding tissue damage. A wound is considered non-healing if it is not cured within three months or it remains in the inflammatory stage for long. However, some factors determine the healing such as the condition of the wound or the health of an individual.  If a wound does not heal fast a specialist should look at it because sometimes it is a reflection of an underlying disease. An external wound is painful with visible redness around the skin due to the disintegration of the tissue; there could be loss of the epidermis, dermis and sometimes subcutaneous fat. Types of wounds include cuts, scrapes, lacerations, abrasions, gashes, scratches, tears, floor burns, and bruises.

Stages of wound healing

Stage I: Inflammatory stage, which is the first stage of the wound formation and it, attempts to restore normal state by forming blood vessels to control bleeding. At this stage, the wound appears red, swollen and is warm.

Stage II: The proliferative stage lasts about 3 weeks or longer depending on the severity of the wound. This is granulation where special cells known as fibroblasts make collagen fill the wound. New blood vessels start to form and a layer of skin gradually covers the wound.

Stage III: Remodeling and maturation stage can last up to two years. New collagen changes the skin around the wound forming a scar that is almost as strong as the original tissue.

Causes of nonhealing wounds

  1. Infections by bacteria colonization which slows down the healing process of the wound.
  2. Excess use of antibiotics has been cited as a problem leading to non-healing wounds.
  3. Microbiology such as arterial insufficiency, pressure and venous insufficiency that reduces the capacity of the skin to repair itself causing a non-healing wound.

Wound care treatment

Wound treatment is effective because it promotes wound healing and reduces the risk of infection.  If you are looking for some expert advice on wound care, you may want to seek help from a podiatrist. Feel free to contact our office to make an appointment with our podiatrist. Our foot and ankle specialist, Dr. Ejodamen Shobowale can provide you with the care you need to keep you pain-free and on your feet

 

  1. Debridement

Debridement is the process of removing damaged or dead tissue and foreign objects from the wound.

Types of wound debridement

Biological debridement uses sterile maggots that digest the dead tissue and pathogens of the wound, giving space to the formation of new cells.

Enzymatic debridement uses a topical agent to chemically liquefy necrotic tissues with enzymes, which devitalize the tissues within the wound. This method can be used together with surgical debridement.

Autolytic debridement is long-term and works by maintaining moisture beneath a wound’s dressing using the body’s enzymes. Dressing absorbency is important in the maintenance of moisture.

Mechanical debridement by hydrotherapy technique and wet-to-dry dressing is cost-effective though it can cause damage to healthy tissues. The wet-to-dry dressing is changed every 4 to 6 hours.

Conservative sharp and surgical debridement is performed by a skilled practitioner who removes the biofilm and devitalized tissue. The level of debridement is determined by the level of tissue removal.

  1. Nutritional supplements

Vitamin C and Aloe Vera through research have been found to play an active role in wound healing. Most diets are deficient in nutrients that enhance healing in the body. Vitamin C stimulates the immune system by increasing amino acid arginine, which activates metabolic functions to stimulate the cells to protect against bacteria. Aloe Vera can be applied or taken for internal wounds, it provides micronutrients that reduce pain and inflammation, and prevent infections. Turmeric has antioxidant properties that decrease inflammation and encourage healing by transforming the growth factor. Pineapples have a proteolytic enzyme that dissolves proteins and works best for wounds with too much scar tissue.

Seek wound care specialist services if the wound is split open and may need stitches when pain is severe and does not get better after taking painkillers and in case the wound is deep or it covers a large area. Seek immediate attention if the area around the wound looks infected. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office located in Cypress, TX. Our Cypress office can handle all of your wound care issues. We will provide you with the latest diagnostic and treatment methods for all wound-related issues.