Venous Leg Ulcer Case Study 

80-year-old female with a history of hypertension, DVT presented with visible traumatic hematoma to the left leg. CT scan done at the hospital confirmed a 9 x 6 cm hematoma. After draining the hematoma in the clinic, the patient had a tunneling ulcer measuring 9 x 6 x 8 cm. Luckily this patient was a non-diabetic and had patent blood flow. This was treated initially by packing the wound with iodoform packing and oral antibiotics to keep it infection-free and let the body build up granulation tissue. Once the wound started to fill in and the depth reduced it started to develop fibrotic tissue which hindered the progress of the wound. This was then treated by regular mechanical wound debridement followed by application of Santyl medication to the wound bed which serves as a chemical debriding agent. 

This case study is a perfect example of how patient compliance, infection control, patent blood flow, and effective medical care can provide wound healing within a short span of time. This patient healed completely and has returned to pre-injury/ulcer activity in a little over 2 months. 

Danniyal Shahid MD, DPM, AACFAS