Diabetic Ulcer Management: Wound Debridement and Periwound Skin Care

This essay examines the critical role of wound debridement in the healing process of chronic diabetic ulcers, emphasizing that debridement extends beyond merely removing bio-burden to include liberating wound edges and managing periwound skin. The discussion highlights the significance of periwound skin management in diabetic foot ulcers, noting that its primary goal is to foster an optimal moist wound healing environment while preventing skin breakdown and infection, a key factor in delaying wound healing. It stresses that the condition of the periwound skin and wound edges serves as a valuable indicator for assessing wound infection type and moisture balance, guiding effective wound management strategies. The essay concludes that successful wound debridement in diabetic ulcers requires a collaborative approach, integrating both periwound skin management and liberation of the wound edges to promote effective healing.

Running head:Wound infection
Wound infection
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

1
Wound infection
Wound infection
Discussion
Wound debriment plays an important role in the healing of the chronic diabetic ulcers.
However, it is perceived that wound debriment only refers to the removal of the bio-burden from
the wound bed, nevertheless it also refers to the liberation of the woundedges and the periwound
skin. Periwound skin management of the diabetic foot ulcers is, as important as the wound bed
preparation in the wound healing. The main aim of the periwound management is to provide an
optimal moist wound healing environment while the prevention of skin breakdown and infection
(Alexiadouand Doupis 2012). It has to be mentioned that breakdown of the periwound skin is
one of the culprits that causes a delay in the wound healing (Powers et al. 2016). It is the
periwound skin and the wound edges that are the best indicators for assessing the type of wound
infection, the moisture balance and for the management of the wound. The steps used for the
periwound assessment include temperature, color, shape, location and the depth of the wound.
Hence, wound debriment of the diabetic ulcers should be understood as a collaborative process
of both periwound skin management and liberation of the wound edges.

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Wound infection
References
Alexiadou, K., and Doupis, J. 2012. Management of diabetic foot ulcers. Diabetes therapy :
research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders, 3(1), p.4.
Powers, J.G., Higham, C., Broussard, K. and Phillips, T.J., 2016. Wound healing and treating
wounds: Chronic wound care and management. Journal of the American Academy of
Dermatology, 74(4), pp.607-625.