vascular Flashcards
types of skin ulcers
venous
arterial
diabetic foot
pressure
why do you get arterial ulcers
insufficient BS to the skin due to PAD
why do you get venous ulcers
pooling of blood + waste products in the skin secondary to venous insufficiency
Waterlow Score
risk assessment tool for estimating an individual patient’s risk of developing a pressure ulcer
typical arterial ulcers
occur distally (toes/foot dorsum)
PAD - absent pulses, pallor, intermittent claudication
smaller
deeper
well defined borders
punched out appearance
pale colour due to poor BS
less likely to bleed
painful
pain worse at night (lying down)
pain worse on elevating + improved by lowing leg (as gravity helps circulation)
typically venous ulcers
occur in gaiter area (top of foot + bottom of calf muscle)
chronic venous changes - hyperpigmentation, venous eczema, lipodermatosclerosis
often occur after minor leg injury
larger
more superficial
irreg, gently sloping border
more likely to bleed
less painful
pain relieved by elevation + worse on lowering leg
ix for arterial + venous ulcers
Ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI) - to assess poor arterial flow
blood tests - FBC, CRP, co-morbidities
charcoal swabs if infection suspected
skin biopsy if skin cancer suspected - +2 wk wait
mx arterial ulcers
urgent referral to vascular to consider surgical revascularisation
referral for venous ulcers
refer to:
vascular surgery is suspect mixed venous + arterial
tissue viability / specialist leg ulcer clinic if complex or non-healing
derm if skin cancer
pain clinics
diabetic ulcer services
tx venous ulcers
input from district nurses or tissue viability nurses
cleaning wound, debridement, dressing
COMPRESSION BANDAGING therapy
(stockings are for after they have healed)
pentoxifylline to improve healing (peripheral vasodilator)
abx if infect
analgesia (avoid NSAIDs)
neuropathic ulcer presentation
tingling and numbness over area
on bony prominences + peripheries
deep, calloused + punched out
in poorly controlled diabetic px
Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
blood clot developing in the circulation, secondary to blood stagnation or hypercoagulable states. When a thrombus develops in a deep vein, it is called a deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
RFs VTE
Immobility
Recent surgery
Long haul travel
Pregnancy
Hormone therapy with oestrogen
Malignancy
Polycythaemia
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Thrombophilia
examples of thrombophilias
conditions that predispose patients to develop blood clot
Antiphospholipid syndrome !!
Factor V Leiden
Antithrombin deficiency
Protein C or S deficiency
Hyperhomocysteinaemia
Prothombin gene variant
Activated protein C resistance
VTE prophylaxis
LMWH - enoxaparin
unless CI (active bleeding/existing anticoag)
Anti-embolic compression stockings are also used (CI in PAD)
presentation DVT
unilateral :
Calf or leg swelling
- the calf circumference is measured 10cm below the tibial tuberosity. >3cm is significant.
Dilated superficial veins
Tenderness to the calf (particularly over the site of the deep veins)
Oedema
Colour changes to the leg
Consider a pulmonary embolism (e.g., shortness of breath and chest pain)
dx DVT
Wells score, if:
Likely: perform a leg vein ultrasound
Unlikely: perform a d-dimer, and if positive, perform a leg vein ultrasound
Repeat -ve US scans after 6-8 days if the px has a +ve D-dimer and the Wells score suggests a DVT is likely.
conditions that can cause raised d-dimer
Pneumonia
Malignancy
Heart failure
Surgery
Pregnancy
mx DVT
apixaban or rivaroxaban is the initial anticoagulant
LMWH is main alternative
started asap is suspected + delay in scanning
consider catheter-directed thrombolysis in patients with a symptomatic iliofemoral DVT