Published Oct 8, 2005
lccougar02
120 Posts
Hi everyone,
I'm in need of an RN's help! I have a paper to do for nursing school and my patient had statis dermatitis on her legs d/t her diabetes (type 2).
For my paper I need to stick with one disease that was pertinent in my assessment (statis dermatitis) and I need 3 kinds of meds that would help this condition
and 3 lab tests.
I was thinking just acetaminophen for pain in her legs...but what else? and the Lab tests... i have NOT a clue.
Can someone help?
~Janine
Me n my baby boy. Had him in nursing school 4/5/05 and came right back to do clinicals 3 days later! Still going strong...somehow!
Daytonite, BSN, RN
1 Article; 14,604 Posts
The medications a patient with status ulcers would be on will be
(1) an antibiotic--either prophylactically or for an actual infection that might be present in the wound
(2) topical applications of something like Burow's solution to keep the wound clean and literally sterilized if actual infection is not present
(3) possibly a diuretic if edema is involved since peripheral edema aggravates these kinds of ulcers
(4) pain medication ranging from acetaminophen right up to Vicodin. Motrin might not be considered because of possible kidney problems (very common in diabetics)
(5) antidiabetic medication - might be insulin or one of the oral meds. It will be important to keep the patient's blood sugar at normalized levels since elevated blood sugar inhibits wound healing. High blood sugar is like literally giving a meal to any bacteria that might be present in the wound.
(6) an antipruritic medication as itching is a preliminary step that leads to the development of the open wounds (itching + scratching with fingernails = skin breakdown and introduction of bacteria). The skin around the ulcer will also be itchy. As the wound heals, the skin becomes itchy.
The lab tests would be
(1) possible a C&S (culture and sensitivity) of the wound - culture of drainage from the wound to identify the presence of any bacteria and which bacteria it is. The sensitivity will tell the doctor which antibiotics the bacteria respond to so the correct antibiotic can be prescribed
(2) blood sugar levels to get her blood sugar under control
(3) Westergren sedimentation rate (a blood test) to give a nonspecific indication that a chronic infection might be present.