Treatment alone is not sufficient for diabetic foot necrosis; comprehensive nursing care can help achieve twice the result with half the effort.Nursing management for diabetic foot necrosis includes the following aspects:
Maintain Foot Cleanliness
Patients with diabetic foot necrosis often experience impaired pain and temperature sensation in the extremities.It is advisable to soak the unaffected foot with warm water before bedtime every night:
Water temperature should be mild
Duration: 10–15 minutes
Gently dry the area between the toes after washingNails should be trimmed once a week to prevent skin scratches and subsequent infection.
Local Wound Care
First, collect pus for bacterial culture and drug sensitivity testing to guide the selection of sensitive antibiotics.Necrotic tissue on the foot should be removed in stages and fractions to ensure adequate drainage of the wound.
Infected wounds must be cleansed with 0.1% chlorhexidine and 3% hydrogen peroxide, with dressing changes once daily.
This also applies to small non-infected traumas.
Topical application of 654‑2 is used to improve microcirculation.
The affected limb should be elevated during daily rest to promote venous return.Dietary Nursing
Calculate the total daily calorie intake based on the patient’s ideal body weight.Due to high consumption from infection, calorie intake should be appropriately increased by 10%–20% for patients with diabetic foot necrosis.Meals should be diversified according to personal dietary habits.
Regular and quantitative meals are required, especially for patients receiving insulin injections.
Psychological Nursing
Patients with diabetic foot gangrene often have a strong odor, which may lead to inferiority complex.In addition, a long hospital stay can easily cause anxiety.
Family members and medical staff should provide more comfort, encouragement, and timely psychological counselingto stabilize the patient’s mood and promote cooperation with treatment.