What does modern wound management involve?

Wound management refers to a wide range of professional wound care provided by medical specialists. The following overview explains what this entails:

• thorough medical history and diagnosis
• detailed wound inspection
• appropriate wound treatment
• individualised pain management where required
• wound documentation
• Supportive therapy
• Evaluation of successful outcomes
• Counselling and education for patients with chronic wounds

Treatment of wounds in podiatry and foot health

These conditions require professional wound treatment of the feet:

• Nail bed damage, foot ulcers and gangrene in diabetic foot
• Rhagades
• cracked skin
• painful blisters
• nail fungus
• Inflammation of the nail bed or nail fold
• Aftercare following surgical procedures
• Ingrown toenails, including localised inflammation
• Tissue injuries caused thanks to external factors

Professional equipment for effective wound management

• Dressing materials such as cotton swabs, toe bandages, compresses, sterile wound dressings, fixation bandages, alcohol swabs, film dressings and convenient complete sets
• Plasters for pressure relief, fixation plasters, callus plasters, Classic and Sensitive wound plasters, spray-on plasters, hydrocolloid plasters
• Occlusive dressings for waterproof film dressings
• Wound sprays
• Wound gel
• Sterile solution for rinsing and cleaning infection-free wounds
• Silverin silver nitrate cautery sticks
• First-aid cabinets and first-aid bags, including or excluding fully equipped first-aid kits

Diabetic foot: Preventing the formation of wounds

Before treatment of acute and chronic wounds becomes necessary, people with diabetes can take a number of steps to prevent their formation. You can give your patients the following recommendations:

• Wash feet in a lukewarm foot bath with gentle care products and then dry them well. Do not neglect the spaces between the toes.
• File toenails straight across using a nail file, not round. Scissors, clippers or nippers are generally unsuitable for people with diabetes due to the risk of injury.
• Relieve calluses. Prefer using pumice stones rather than rasps.
• Apply cream to dry feet regularly. Products containing urea (5–10 per cent) are suitable for this.
• Change your socks daily and opt for materials with a high cotton content.
• Enter new shoes and check for any possible pressure points.
• Consult a professional podiatrist and have your foot health checked regularly by your treating diabetologist.

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