What is an infected, non-healing diabetic foot wound?
In the later stages of diabetes, it is common to develop wounds on the foot.
Diabetes can damage the nerves and small blood vessels in the legs. When the nerves don’t work properly, it is easier to develop blisters, cuts, and pressure sores.1 When the blood supply is decreased, it can make it harder for the body to heal these wounds. The wound is also more likely to become infected.
About 33 in a 100 infections that expand more than 3 centimeters (an inch and a half) beyond the wound spreads elsewhere in your body at some point in the next three years.2
When you have a foot wound that won’t heal on its own, we worry about your overall health. Make sure you talk to your doctors and nurses about this. It’s also helpful to discuss it with your loved ones.
Non-healing wounds also affect your physical and emotional well-being.3,4 It is harder to move around with a wound that won’t heal. You may become less independent and have less social contact with friends and neighbors. You may need to see a doctor or nurse more frequently.
What happens when the wound becomes infected?
When a wound that won’t heal gets infected, you may need surgery to remove the dead and infected tissue to prevent the infection from spreading. This may cure the infection, but it can result in a large wound or a partial amputation of your foot.
Next, you will need to choose a surgery to help heal the wound. The further up the leg we operate, the more likely you are to heal and avoid a new infection. That means you return to comfort and movement sooner.5,6
This decision aid will help you think through the advantages and disadvantages of giving up more of your leg to become healed sooner.
