The Kerraboot~R: A novel wound dressing device for the management of leg and foot ulcers

摘要

Five to ten per cent of patients with diabetes suffer with a foot or lower leg ulcer at some point.These ulcers can cause pain and disability and reduce the quality of life of patients as well as being a significant burden on health care services. Diabetic foot ulcers can be especially difficult to heal, often taking many months. Effective treatment of such ulcers is key to the reduction in the number of amputations. This is seen as a health care priority, as highlighted in the St Vincent declaration (1989), identifying the objective of reducing by one half the rate of limb amputations for patients with diabetes by 2010.This reduction has not been seen thus far, emphasising the need for new approaches to wound healing. Awareness of the importance of a warm, moist and protected wound healing environment has led to the development of a new type of wound dressing device, the Kerraboot~R.This is a boot shaped dressing constructed from a multi-laminate plastic containing a super-absorbent, sodium polyacry-late-derived pad to absorb and contain exudate (Figure 1). This report describes the use of the Kerraboot~R in the management of leg and foot ulcers.