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Diabetic Foot Ulcer Research Paper

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The number of people with diabetes is greatly increasing around the world. A large percentage of this population can be expected to develop diabetic foot ulcers. During the mid-19th century the problem of diabetic foot ulcers was discovered and discussed for the first time (Naves, 2016). In the mid-19th century, diabetic foot ulcers were treated by prolonged bed rest, although it was only a temporary fix because they started to notice that the ulcers would come back once they were back on their feet again. It is not until Frederick Treves (1853-1923), famous for performing the first appendectomy, suggested a different approach for the treatment of foot ulcers which is using sharp debridement of callus (Naves, 2016). After debridement, antiseptic …show more content…

Uncontrolled blood sugar levels irritate the skin tissue causing it to break down and exposing the layer underneath (Kim, 2016). The most common sites are on your big toes and balls of your feet, and they can affect your feet down to the bones. According to Steven Kim (2016), diabetic ulcers are commonly caused by poor circulation, high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), and nerve damage. Poor blood circulation would not allow adequate blood flow to the feet, therefore making it difficult for ulcer to heal. Hyperglycemia can decrease the wound healing process of a diabetic foot ulcer, so blood glucose management is critical for all diabetic patients (Kim, 2016). Nerve damage/ peripheral neuropathy can result in loss of sensation in the feet due to repetitive stress. Damaged nerves can feel tingly and painful at first, but eventually results in loss of sensation which can lead to painless wounds that can cause ulcers (Kim, 2016). Thus, when patients come in with diabetic foot ulcers it is beneficial to know the cause, so the health care team can determine the course of …show more content…

The patient population that is being studied includes individuals with diabetic foot ulcers. Currently, many different types of dressings are being used on diabetic foot ulcers depending on the hospital and the attending physician. It is necessary to determine whether other specific dressings types such as collagen dressings, could be more beneficial than others in treating these wounds/ulcers. This raises the question, “In patients with diabetic foot ulcers, do wet to dry dressings compared to collagen dressings result in a decrease in wound healing time?”. Search Strategy To obtain relevant information about this topic, databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and EBSCO host were searched. Appropriate search words and phrases were used such as the following: “dressing types and diabetic foot ulcers”, collagen dressings, wet to dry dressings and “diabetic foot ulcer care”. The search was then narrowed by using only articles published in the past five years. The studies presented were then evaluated for relevancy and accuracy. Report of the Evidence Article 1

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