General

Are diabetic foot ulcers venous or arterial?

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Are diabetic foot ulcers venous or arterial?

* Diabetic foot ulcers are often due to both arterial disease (involving the microcirculation as well as large vessels) and neuropathic disease.

What is the difference between venous and arterial leg ulcers?

Arterial ulcers develop as the result of damage to the arteries due to lack of blood flow to tissue. Venous ulcers develop from damage to the veins caused by an insufficient return of blood back to the heart. Unlike other ulcers, these leg wounds can take months to heal, if they heal at all.

Can venous ulcers lead to amputation?

Venous stasis ulcers These slow-healing ulcers typically occur around your ankle and need intensive wound care to heal. Without treatment, venous ulcers expand and cause dangerous skin and bone infections. That’s when you’re at risk of amputation.

How do you treat leg ulcers in elderly?

The mainstay of treatment for venous ulcers is compression therapy, exercise and leg elevation at rest. Long term treatment with double bandages (zinc paste bandages and elastic compression), changed once weekly, is the recommended standard treatment in the elderly.

Can you use compression bandaging on arterial ulcers?

Compression bandaging must NEVER be used on arterial leg ulcers. Latex free brands of compression bandages should be used routinely. Compression bandaging should only be applied by staff with appropriate training and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

How do you tell if it’s venous or arterial?

Arterial blood is a bright-red color as the hemoglobin present in it has received plenty of oxygen. In contrast, hemoglobin in the venous blood has lost a lot of oxygen, so venous blood is dark-red, almost blackish in colour. Good health and ill-health can also alter these colours slightly.

Can you get sepsis from a leg ulcer?

An infected leg ulcer that is not properly treated could result in sepsis. This happens when the bacteria travel to the bloodstream and spread across the body. The immune system then tries to fight the infection, but this leads to inflammation and clotting throughout the body.