[ANSWER] NURS3005 Assignment 3 – Clinical Case Conference Report: Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcer

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Diabetic foot ulceration affects 6.3% of the global population, with Australia having the lowest prevalence at 1.5% (Zhang et al., 2016). The disease is not only complex, but also financially burdensome. Among patients suffering from diabetes, the risk of developing a diabetic foot ulcer remains as high as 34%, with up to 65% of the patients reporting a recurrence of the illness five years after healing (Reardon et al., 2020). While the disease occurs indiscriminately among diabetic patients, it will affect between 15% and 25% of people with diabetes mellitus at one point in their lifetime. Once the ulcer develops, especially in light of poor management, the risk of amputation is significantly increased.

Approximately 1.7% of Australians diagnosed with the disease had their lower limbs amputated (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017). In general, the condition is considered among the most serious complications of diabetes progression. Evidence shows that the pathophysiology of diabetic foot ulcers exhibits elements of peripheral arterial disease, neuropathy, and immune system issues (Aumiller & Dollahite, 2015; Grennan, 2019). The disease develops in three main stages, beginning with a neuropathy-caused callus (Oliver & Mutluoglu, 2020). Hyperglycaemia (associated with diabetes) results in oxidative stress and causes neuropathy. Other cellular alterations causing ischemia can be seen in damaged motor neurons, which further produces anatomic deformities and imbalance of flexors, eventually leading to skin ulcerations.

(Aumiller & Dollahite, 2015). It is the occasional trauma of these ulcerations that develop into a diabetic foot ulcer (Armstrong, Boulton, & Bus, 2017). Vascular changes, especially with regard to peripheral arteries, have also been associated with diabetic foot ulcers. Individuals suffering from diabetes mellitus experience severe cases of arteriosclerosis, which compromises their vascular function. Oliver and Mutluoglu (2020) explain that, since the wound experiences low supply of blood, healing may take time, which could cause necrosis and gangrene on the area. Elsewhere, immune changes like more T-lymphocyte apoptosis have been shown…[Buy Full Answer for Just USD 9: 3181 WORDS]

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