Abstract
We conducted a preliminary survey to establish nutritional therapy that contributes to the treatment/prevention of chronic limb wounds. The subjects were 14 males with lower limb ulcers (excluding venous ulcers) who underwent oral nutrition and two-stage closing procedure. In a retrospective study, we investigated factors influencing the treatment period. In the diabetes group, the mean treatment period was 90±30 (average ± SD) days, being significantly longer than in the diabetes-free group (43±17 days) (p<0.01). Regarding the patient group whose treatment period was longer than the median of the treatment days, the rate of serum albumin change/day from hospitalization until surgical closure was lower than that of the group with shorter treatment period (p<0.05). The results of this survey suggest that the rate of serum albumin change/day might be useful for predicting the risk of delayed wound healing. Furthermore, it is important to consider the influence of concomitant diseases when performing nutritional therapy or evaluating the treatment response.
