Internally Peer Reviewed Remember Juanita had diabetes and a leg ulcer. She needed treatment.
Treatment has two aspects.
First, the control of body-wide disease, e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart failure and second, the local management of the ulcer. Systemic disease can be treated medically, for example with beta blockers or surgically by tying off non-working incompetent veins or with vascular reconstruction or minor amputation in arterial ulcers . If very contaminated, local antibiotics can be used and rarely oral or injectable antibiotics. In venous ulcers, the swelling or edema should be reduced by bed rest, diuretics, pressure, or exercise. More permanent dressings may be oxygen permeable such as op site or oxygen impermeable such as hydrocolloid or duoderm and these can often be left for 7 days.