The use of Advazorb on a highly exuding ulcerated toe

Written by: Leanne Cook - Vascular Nurse Specialist, Pinderfields General Hospital

Introduction

Mr B presented acutely with an ulcerated painful left great toe which had been present for 2 weeks, there were two areas of ulceration which were highly exuding, it was being dressed with a non adherent dressing but these were failing to manage the levels of exudate which resulted in extensive maceration of the surrounding tissue.

Mr B had no past medical history to note and was currently not taking any medication, blood sugar testing revealed elevated blood sugar levels and he was later diagnosed with type two diabetes. Oral antibiotics were commenced and the ulcer was dressed with Advazorb non adherent foam due to its highly absorbent properties and has added benefits of being highly conformable and additionally can to be cut to shape to ensure comfortable and secure dressing of difficult areas such as the toes. Only 48 hours later there was evidence of significant improvement, due to the rapid fluid absorbency and the fluid retention properties of Advazorb the surrounding skin maceration was completely resolved, infection was reduced and healing of the ulcerated areas was evident.

Results

Three weeks later complete healing was seen. The highly absorbent nature of Advazorb ensured fluid was rapidly absorbed and retained within the dressing allowing healing to occur. Effective moisture management of a wound is an essential aspect of wound healing, especially when dealing with diabetic foot sepsis where if moisture levels are not effectively managed it can compromise the viability of the digit/foot.