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Leg ulcer - venous - Management
What follow up is needed for an infected venous leg ulcer?
- Review the person within 3 days to ensure the infected ulcer is responding to treatment. Ideally, people with infected venous leg ulcers should be followed up daily or every 2–3 days until a clinical improvement is seen.
- Inspect and compare the ulcer and surrounding skin for signs of improvement, suggested by reduced inflammation, development of healthy pink granulation tissue, reducing exudate, and improving symptoms of pain, oedema, and pyrexia.
- If the infection is not responding, check swab results and consider changing the antibiotic based on sensitivity information. Consider possible complications or allergic contact dermatitis as a cause for the ongoing symptoms.
- If the infection is sensitive to the empirical antibiotic but only slowly responding and not deteriorating, review after 7 days and consider continuing the antibiotic for a further 7 days.
- If there are signs of worsening infection (spreading redness, increasing pain, and systemically unwell), consider osteomyelitis or septicaemia, and admit the person to hospital for intravenous antibiotics.
- After the infection has settled, follow up the person as for an uncomplicated venous ulcer.
In depth
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