Wound healing after lancing the skin

Diabetic patients lance themselves daily to obtain blood samples for glucos e testing, and as reliable devices reach the market, many patients may pref er to test on body sites other than the finger to reduce pain. To date, hea ling of lancet wounds has not been well studied. This study included seven trials at four locations with 271 total subjects (59 non-diabetic, 212 diab etic) and evaluation of 2707 lancet wounds. A vacuum-lancet device pierced the skin to a depth of 0.4 to 2.1 mm with a 28- or 21-gauge lancet. Finger, forearm, abdomen, and thigh sites were characterized using videomicroscopy . The incidence of bruising and redness of the wound was determined by subj ect self-appraisal using a common photographic reproduction for comparison. Less erythema was measured on the fingertip than on the other body sites. For type 1 and type 2 diabetic subjects across a range of ages, erythema wa s resolved at 73 to 85 percent of the sites on the forearm on the third day after lancing. The incidence of bruising was higher for Female than for ma le diabetic subjects (6.5% vs. 2.5%). Resolution of the erythema from lance t wounds on the dorsal forearm was similar for a wide range of lancing dept hs (0.7-2.1 mm). The visual disappearance of wounds produced by different g auge lancets was similar. Resolution of erythema secondary to lancing the F orearm is typically complete in three days or less; however, considerable s ite-to-site and person-to-person variations are observed. Lancing body site s other than the finger is likely to become a common practice among diabeti c patients.