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Pressure ulcers & chronic wounds

Ulcus decubitale et vulnus chronicum · Proleženiny a chronické rány

What it is

Sustained pressure kills skin over a bony point; diabetes and poor circulation stop healing.

Symptoms & signs

  • Non-blanching redness
  • blister then open sore
  • deep crater
  • foul smell if infected
  • often painless in neuropathy

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Fever with confusion or fast breathing
  • see a doctor soon Skin around the wound red, hot and spreading
  • see a doctor soon Wound smells bad or leaks pus
  • see a doctor soon Wound getting deeper, or bone or tendon showing

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Pressure redistribution mattresses
  • 2-hourly repositioning
  • debridement
  • negative-pressure dressings
  • treat infection
  • revascularisation
  • Maggot debridement — FDA-cleared 2004 for non-healing wounds, pressure ulcers included

Natural & lifestyle

  • Protein and calorie support
  • zinc and vitamin C only if deficient
  • offloading footwear
  • daily foot checks in diabetes
  • moisture management

Emerging & experimental

  • Bioengineered skin substitutes
  • topical oxygen therapy
  • growth-factor gels

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Honey dressings — trials show faster healing than some dressings mixed evidence
  • Arginine-enriched nutrition — trials show faster healing mixed evidence
  • Granulated sugar dressings — small studies early / small studies

ICD codes