Peripheral venous and arterial disease Flashcards
Lower limb venous system divided into
Superficial and Deep veins
Where are deep veins and superficial veins located?
Superficial: Within subcutaneous tissue
Deep: Underneath deep fascia with major arteries
Movement of blood veins
Superficial to deep veins
Deep veins lower limb (9)
Common iliac –> external iliac –> common femoral (branches into deep and superficial femoral) –> popliteal –> anterior/posterior tibial and peroneal
Superficial veins lower limb
Femoral vein –> long saphenous vein (anteromedial) (always in front of medial malleolus)
Popliteal vein –> short saphenous vein (posterolateral)
Bridges between deep and sueprficial veins
Femoral vein (gives rise to long saphenous) Popliteal vein (gives rise to short saphenous)
Name the calf muscle pump muscles and describe what they do
Gastrocnemius and Soleus
Soleus and gastrocnemius muscles in the leg push the blood against gravity back towards heart
What is the calf muscle pump also known as?
AKA ‘the peripheral heart’
How is calf muscle pump assisted?
- Valves open = blood pushed into deep veins = valves close to prevent retrograde movement of blood (back flow of blood = perforating valves open again and blood fills the deep vein from the superficial vein, through the perforating vein
What occurs during exercise to venous pressure in the foot?
Venous pressure in the foot is reduced
When standing still, pressure increases
What is the most common cause of peripheral vascular disease?
Atheroma
What do you see in the early part of peripheral venous disease?
Varicose veins
What are varicose veins?
Veins that have become twisted and tortuous due to the valves being ineffective
What is a common site for varicose veins?
- Saphenous veins
- They are superficial so you can see them on the surface
Describe how varicose veins occur
- Starts with WALL OF VEINS WEAKEN
- Then varicosities develop
- And valve cusps separate causing valves to become incompetent
- The flow through the veins becomes slowed = stasis and pooling or even reversed
How do varicose veins affect blood flow?
Valves ineffective, slow or even reversed blood movement (blood pooling and stasis)
Do varicose veins usually cause problems?
- Don’t normally cause problems in own right but they can present symptomatically
Shape of varicose veins
Tortuous and twisted
Symptomatic presentation peripheral venous disease (9)
- Heaviness
- Aching
- Muscle cramps
- Throbbing
- Leg cramps
- Pain
- Ankle swelling
- Varicose eczema
- Haemorrhage- bleeding from damaged veins
Along the affected vein
Risk factors peripheral venous disease (5)
Age Family history FEMALE Number of births If your occupation involves long periods of standing
Complications of peripheral venous disease
- Superficial vein thrombophlebitis (inflammation from clot in vein) - painful erythematous follows varicose veins
- Increased risk of DEEP vein thrombosis
What is chronic venous insufficiency? (3)
- More advanced disease
- Reflux and/or obstruction causing venous hypertension
- (50% people develop it within 10 years of a DVT)
Complications chronic venous insufficiency (4)
Lipodermatosclerosis (inflammation and thickening of subcutaneous fat)
Haemosiderin staining (brawny oedema)
Venous ulceration
Venous Eczema
Why does do you get haemosiderin staining in chronic venous insufficiency? (4)
- Increase in hydrostatic pressure in post-capillary venules
- Leaking of RBC
- Haem oxidsed by macrophages (haemosiderin forms)
- Rusty looking leg
Describe venous eczema (6)
- Chronic
- Itchy
- Red
- Swollen
- Tight
- Can lead to Lipodermatosclerosis