Diabetic foot ulcer care in Oakville.

About diabetic foot ulcers

Foot ulcers are more likely in people who have had diabetes for many years, especially once feeling in the feet has faded. Anyone who has had an ulcer or an amputation before is at higher risk, because healed skin stays fragile and the pressure pattern behind the first wound is often still there. Other things that raise risk include poor circulation in the legs, kidney disease, changes in foot shape such as hammertoes, bunions or a collapsed arch, vision loss that makes foot checks hard, and trouble bending to reach the feet. People who live alone, or who cannot easily get properly fitted shoes, are more exposed too. None of this makes an ulcer certain. It tells clinicians whose feet to watch closely.

What the treating clinician looks at

Clinicians grade diabetic foot ulcers by severity, and the grade shapes what follows. A shallow wound with good blood flow and no infection can often be managed with visits at home or in a facility. A wound with spreading infection, exposed bone or tendon, or poor circulation may need a hospital, a surgeon or a vascular specialist, and the treating clinician will tell you if that is the case. Between those two ends, the clinician weighs what can be done on site against what calls for imaging, lab work or a specialist’s opinion. Gateway’s part is to move the resulting orders and referrals along and to let you know who should be calling you.

Arranging this care in Oakville

Many people in Oakville have lived in the same house for decades and intend to stay. A diabetic foot ulcer tests that plan. Older homes tend to have steps at every entrance, laundry in the basement and a tub to climb into, each one a moment of full weight on the wounded foot. During home visits the treating clinician can point out practical changes, and Gateway follows up on any equipment ordered. If care needs outgrow the house, skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities are close by, and you can ask us about continuing wound visits there.

At the southern tip of St. Louis County, Oakville sits on a wedge of land with the Mississippi River on the east and the Meramec River wrapping around the south and west. Telegraph Road is the main road, and most trips out lead north toward Interstate 255 or Interstate 55. It is an unincorporated community of subdivisions, parks along the river bluffs and families who tend to stay. The same geography that keeps Oakville quiet also puts it at the far end of the drive to most medical appointments, which is why care at home matters here.

At home between visits

When dressings need changing more often than visits occur, the treating clinician may order home health nursing, and Gateway helps set that up with an agency that serves your area. The agency nurse follows the wound orders and reports changes back. Supplies are the other piece. Dressings, wraps and offloading devices are ordered by the clinician, and we track each order so the right sizes arrive before the current stock runs out. Store supplies together in one clean, dry place, and tell us early if a box is running low or if the boot or shoe no longer fits well.

Care in skilled nursing and assisted living

In a skilled nursing facility, a diabetic foot ulcer is managed by several people at once. A partner clinician visits on site to assess the wound and write or recommend orders, the facility nurses carry out dressing changes and daily skin checks, and the attending physician oversees the resident’s overall care. Gateway keeps those lines connected. We schedule rounds with the facility, send visit notes for the chart and confirm that new orders were received and signed as the building requires. Offloading orders, such as heel protection in bed or a boot for transfers, go to the nursing and therapy staff who apply them every shift.

Signs to tell the clinician about

Some changes point to trouble with blood flow or to tissue that is dying. Report these to the treating clinician without waiting for the next visit:

• Black, gray or dark purple skin on a toe, the heel or the wound edge
• A wound that looks deeper, or one where bone or tendon can be seen
• A toe that has become cold or discolored
• Foot pain at rest or at night that eases when the leg hangs down

Call 911 if a foot or leg suddenly turns cold, pale or blue, or for chest pain, severe bleeding or loss of consciousness.

Why primary care matters here

The blood that reaches the foot is what feeds a healing ulcer, and the health of the arteries is largely a primary care matter. Blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney function and tobacco use all affect the vessels in the legs. A primary care clinician tracks these, orders the lab work and can coordinate referrals to vascular or kidney specialists when the wound clinician raises a concern. Leg swelling from heart or kidney conditions matters as well, because a swollen foot fits poorly in an offloading device. When Gateway arranges both kinds of care, findings from one visit can inform the other instead of sitting in separate charts.

Primary care at home in Oakville →

Getting care arranged in Oakville

Clinicians and facility staff referring a patient for diabetic foot ulcer care in Oakville can call 314-325-0126 or fax 314-786-7966. Helpful to include: demographics and insurance, the working diagnosis, recent wound notes and measurements, current orders, the medication list and relevant test results. Please also tell us who should receive the treating clinician’s notes afterward. The online referral form takes contact details only, so clinical records should come by fax, not through the form. Gateway confirms that the referral arrived, checks availability for the patient’s address and lets your office know what has been scheduled.

When someone from Oakville needs a hospital, it is usually Mercy Hospital South, a short drive north. Gateway is not affiliated with the hospital. Coming home with a new surgical incision, a pressure injury or a leg wound raises a simple question: who is going to look at this next? Families can call Gateway to ask about follow-up visits at the Oakville address. Discharge planners can refer by phone or by fax to 314-786-7966. Once the summary and orders arrive, we confirm a partner clinician’s availability and let the family know.

• County: St. Louis County, Missouri
• ZIP codes: 63129
• Nearby hospitals: Mercy Hospital South (not affiliated with Gateway)
• Nearby communities: Mehlville, Arnold, South County, Imperial
• Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation

Related care in Oakville

Read the full guide to diabetic foot ulcers, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in Oakville page.

• Venous leg ulcers
• Pressure injuries and bed sores
• Arterial and mixed wounds
• Non-healing wounds
• Post-surgical wounds
• Reopened (dehisced) surgical wounds
• Surgical site infections
• Skin tears and traumatic wounds
• Wounds with lymphedema
• Skin graft aftercare
• Wound VAC (NPWT) follow-up
• Diabetic foot ulcer care in Mehlville
• Diabetic foot ulcer care in Arnold
• Diabetic foot ulcer care in South County

Common questions