Peripheral Vascular Disorders Flashcards
Pathophysiology of Disorders of Peripheral Vascular System
Related to inefficiency of the heart, blood vessels, incompetent valves, lymphatic obstruction
Normal aging: inner walls of blood vessels become thick and less flexible, which increases vascular resistance
Risk Factors of Disorders of the Peripheral Vascular System
Age, gender, heredity, race, diet, exercise, smoking, stress, hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes (increased blood glucose)
Arterial Assessment
First symptom of decreased arterial circulation is pain
Ischemia
Caused by lack of oxygen-rich blood getting to the muscles
Pain frequently in lower extremities, dull ache in calf muscles, occurs even with rest
Accompanied by fatigue and cramping
Precipitated by exercise
Alleviating factor is rest (initially)
Intermittent Claudication
Weakness and cramp-like pain in the calves related to poor circulation of the arterial blood
Arterial/Venous Assessment
Pulses Appearance Temperature Capillary refill Hardness Edema Sensation
Venous Assessment
First symptom is edema
Dark pigmentation, dryness, and scaling due to chronic venous insufficiency
Chronic edema and stasis leads to stasis ulcerations caused by the pooling of blood
Achy pain and cramps
Alleviated by activity or raising the legs above heart level
Noninvasive Tests of Vascular Insufficiency
Treadmill test (taking blood pressures in extremities and monitoring for pain)
Plethysmography (measures changes in volume in different parts of the body)
Doppler ultrasound (continuous recording, color flow, used for looking at claudication and obstruction)
Invasive Tests of Vascular Insufficiency
Phebography or venography (injection of dye into an IV)
Angiography (dye in an IV)
Doppler/Duplex Scanning Tests (combines ultrasound and doppler)
D-Dimer (looks for blood clots, thrombus present if test shows > 1591 ng/mL of D-Dimer)
Characteristics of Arterial Insufficiency
Pulses decreased or absent
Color is pale, dusky rubor present
Temperature is cool
No edema
Skin is shiny and has absence of hair, ulcers on the toes
Pain aggravated with exercise and relieved with rest
Characteristics of Venous Insufficiency
Pulses are present
Color is pink to cyanotic with brown pigmentation at ankles
Temperature is warm
Edema is present
Skin shows ulcers on ankles
Pain is aggravated by long standing or sitting and is alleviated by elevation of legs, lying down, or walking
Pathophysiology of Hypertension
Sustained elevated systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg and sustained elevated diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mmHg
Increases vascular resistance, hastens atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis, and makes the heart work harder
Essential Hypertension
No exact cause, makes up 90-95% of all diagnosed cases
Includes malignant hypertension
Malignant Hypertension
Severe, rapidly progressive elevation of blood pressure of over 250/120 mmHg
Medical emergency
Symptoms include headache, visual disturbances, nosebleeds
Can lead to heart attack, stroke, renal failure, or problems with the eyes
Secondary Hypertension
Related to something else and can be fixed by fixing the root issue
Examples are hyperthyroidism, fluid overload, kidney problems
Risk Factors for Hypertension
Age/Gender (older than 30 increases risk for hypertension; men are more likely to be at risk)
Race/Heredity (higher risk for African Americans)
Smoking/Obesity
High sodium/Elevated cholesterol
Oral contraceptives or estrogen
Alcohol (increases catecholamines that lead to vasoconstriction)
Emotional stress/Sedentary lifestyle
Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension
Headache (especially upon awakening)
Blurred vision, spots before eyes
Epistaxis
Complications can occur in the heart, brain, eyes, and kidneys
Pharmacological Management of Hypertension
Patients should report signs and symptoms and should not stop taking abruptly
Antihypertensive medications (teach about taking as ordered, teach about side effects such as hypotension, drowsiness, erectile dysfunction)
Diuretics (help to get rid of the extra fluid in the body)
Medical Management of Hypertension
Diet (low sodium, reduction of saturated fats, reduce alcohol)
Exercise (30-45 minutes, 3-4 times a week)
No smoking
Relaxation techniques/Stress management
Peripheral Arterial Disease
Narrowing or occlusion of the blood vessels
Common sites are iliac, common femoral arteries and superficial femoral arteries
Signs and Symptoms include pain, pulselessness, pallor, paresthesia, paralysis
Diagnosis of Peripheral Artery Disease
Ankle Brachial Index (blood pressure taken in both arms and one in the legs; ABI < 0.9 is abnormal)