Healing with integrative management of Diabetic foot ulcer - A case report
Case report published in J Ayurveda Integr Med (2025)
Abstract
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) occur in 15-25 % of diabetic patients at some point in their lifetime. The wide surgical debridement of the septic area is the cornerstone of diabetic foot ulcer treatment. There is a need to explore alternate therapies for DFU to reduce the risk of severe amputation. A 50-year-old male visited the Ayurveda OPD with a chronic ulcer on the plantar aspect of his right forefoot, which had persisted for two months. Ayurveda has considered Dushta vrana (∼septic nonhealing ulcer) and mentioned the Vrana upkrama (∼wound care measures) for its management. Among these Vrana upkrama, Jalauka avcharana (∼bloodletting using leech), Vrana Shodhana (∼wound cleansing measures) by Parisheka (∼therapeutic streaming of medicated decoction), Vrana ropana (∼wound-healing measures) are the three main wound care approaches along with Shamana (∼palliative therapy) for three months adopted in the present case for managing diabetic foot ulcers. DMIST tool was used to assess wound care at baseline and during follow-up. After three months of treatment, the integrated approach effectively shortens the healing time of DFUs, reduces the amputation rate and improves the standard of living of patients with DFUs with multiple Ayurvedic treatments.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
50-year-old male with chronic plantar diabetic foot ulcer managed with Jalauka avcharana (leech therapy) plus Ayurvedic wound care for 3 months with full healing.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This case report describes the integrative Ayurvedic management of a chronic diabetic foot ulcer in a 50-year-old male, incorporating Jalauka avcharana (bloodletting using leeches) alongside wound cleansing, wound-healing measures, and palliative therapy over three months. It holds relevance for ASH by illustrating leech application as one component of a traditional multi-modal wound care regimen aimed at reducing amputation risk. The abstract reports that after three months the integrated approach effectively shortened healing time, reduced amputation rate, and improved the patient's standard of living, as assessed using the DMIST tool. The primary limitation is that this is a single case report of a combined intervention; it does not isolate the specific contribution of leech therapy or provide controlled clinical evidence.
Citation
Healing with integrative management of Diabetic foot ulcer - A case report.
Katkar R et al. · Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine, 2025
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