Can individualised nutritional support improve healing in therapy-resistant leg ulcers?

• OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether an individually designed programme of nutritional support can improve healing in otherwise therapy-resistant venous leg ulcers. METHOD: Six primary health-care patients, aged between 79 and 93 years, with venous ulcers that had been open for one year or more (range: 1.5-8 years) were recruited into the study. The patients were asked to follow an individualised diet plan which included the use of liquid dietary supplements. Ulcer area, anthropometric and biochemical variables, and energy and nutrient intake were assessed before intervention and then regularly for nine months.RESULTS: At nine months ulcer healing had occurred in two patients, of whom one had had ulcers on both legs. In a third patient the ulceration on one leg had healed and that on the other leg had almost healed. In a fourth patient, the ulcer area reduced by approximately 90%.CONCLUSION: The use of nutritional support might have assisted the wound healing in these patients. Although the relationship between nutritional supplementation and wound healing is not well defined, an appropriate nutritional plan is recommended if undernourishment is suspected and leg ulcers are not healing.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

aged

article

case report

diet

diet supplementation

female

follow up

human

leg ulcer

male

methodology

nursing

nutritional requirement

nutritional support

patient care planning

physiology

prospective study

sensitivity and specificity

Sweden

treatment failure

wound healing

Aged

80 and over

Dietary Supplements

Follow-Up Studies

Humans

Nutritional Requirements

Prospective Studies

Nursing Science

Vårdvetenskap

MEDICINE

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)