Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcer
If your foot ulcer was not treated, causing you to develop chronic ulceration with associated complications, you could be the victim of medical neglect. Contact us today to find out more.
Diabetic foot ulcers
People with diabetes are more at risk of developing a foot ulcer. This is because diabetes can affect the circulation, particularly in the extremities such as the feet. Diabetes is also associated with nerve damage and high blood sugar. These factors combined mean that diabetics are much more likely to suffer a foot ulcer.
Diabetic foot ulcers must be promptly treated, or the ulcer could continue to grow in size. All the dead tissue must be cut away and the ulcer protected with a dressing. The ulcer should then be regularly reviewed to ensure it is healing. The dressings will also have to be changed frequently. If any signs of infection are present, the patient will need antibiotics.
Foot ulcer left untreated
With early care, a foot ulcer can be successfully cured. But if left untreated, a chronic diabetic foot ulcer will develop. This is very serious, as the open wound will be very vulnerable to infection. This can result in life-threatening complications such as sepsis.
A chronic foot ulcer will also necessitate extensive debridement surgery and drainage of the foot. It may be that so much tissue must be removed that the patient's mobility is adversely affected. Sometimes the amount of necrotic tissue will be so large that a below-the-knee amputation is required.
Complications from chronic diabetic foot ulcer
Even if an amputation is not performed, it may be that the debridement surgery is unsuccessful when carried out in the advanced stages of ulceration. The patient will then be left with chronic intractable ulceration. This in turn can lead to further complications, including osteomyelitis and Charcot arthropathy.
Conditions such as Charcot arthropathy will significantly deform the foot. This can have a knock-on effect on the patient's life, hindering their ability to walk, work and drive. Aids and equipment may be needed to maximise the patient's independence, although even then their life will be severely restricted.
Has this happened to you?
A small blister or diabetic ulcer can be successfully treated soon after it develops. But if treatment is withheld and the wound turns into a large ulcer or abscess, the patient will need extensive debridement. This can result in a deformity, amputation and other life-changing complications.
If doctors failed to treat your foot ulcer straight away, causing you to suffer some of the complications described above, you could be entitled to pursue a claim for compensation. Please get in touch with us today for more information.
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