Affect 9% of patients admitted to hospital and 23% of those admitted to nursing homes. Make a chart for wound care. To encourage ideal patient comfort and lessen agitation/anxiety. For patients who have difficulty donning the stockings, use of layered (additive) compression stockings; stockings with a Velcro or zippered closure; or donning aids, such as a donning butler (Figure 4), may be helpful.33, Intermittent Pneumatic Compression. Traditional conservative management of venous ulcers usually entails compression therapy, leg elevation to reduce edema, and dressings on the wound. RN, BSN, PHNClinical Nurse Instructor, Emergency Room Registered NurseCritical Care Transport NurseClinical Nurse Instructor for LVN and BSN students. Oral antibiotics are preferred, and therapy should be limited to two weeks unless evidence of wound infection persists.1, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Chronic venous insufficiency can pose a more serious result if not given proper medical attention. It can eventually lead to ulcerations or skin breakage on the skin making the person prone infections. Pressure Ulcer/Pressure Injury Nursing Care Plan. Sacral wounds are most susceptible to infection from urine or feces contamination due to their closeness to the perineum. Compared with compression plus a simple dressing, one study showed that advanced therapies can shorten healing time and improve healing rates.52, Skin Grafting. The oldest term for pressure ulcers is decubitus, which evolved into decubitus ulcers or ischemic ulcer s in the 1950s. B) Apply a clean occlusive dressing once daily and whenever soiled. Detailed Description: The study takes place in home-care in two Finnish municipality, which are similar size and staff structure and working ideology are basically the same. This hemorheologic agent affects microcirculation and oxygenation, and can be used effectively as monotherapy or with compression therapy for venous ulcers.1,39 In seven randomized controlled trials, pentoxifylline plus compression improved healing of venous ulcers compared with placebo plus compression. Self-care such as exercise, raising the legs when sitting or lying down, or wearing compression stockings can help ease the pain of varicose veins and might prevent them from getting worse. Leg ulcer may be of a mixed arteriovenous origin. Normally, when you get a cut or scrape, your body's healing process starts working to close the wound. Treat venous stasis ulcers per order. Venous incompetence and associated venous hypertension are thought to be the primary mechanisms for ulcer formation. To diagnose chronic venous insufficiency, your NYU Langone doctor asks about your health history to determine the extent of your symptoms. All Rights Reserved. 34. It is performed with autograft (skin or cells taken from another site on the same patient), allograft (skin or cells taken from another person), or artificial skin (human skin equivalent).41,42,49 However, skin grafting generally is not effective if there is persistent edema, which is common with venous insufficiency, and the underlying venous disease is not addressed.40 A recent Cochrane review found few high-quality studies to support the use of human skin grafting for the treatment of venous ulcers.41, The role of surgery is to reduce venous reflux, hasten healing, and prevent ulcer recurrence. 11.0 Low level laser treatment 11.1 There is no evidence that low level laser therapy speeds the healing of venous leg ulcers. This usually needs to be changed 1 to 3 times a week. Effective treatments include topical silver sulfadiazine and oral antibiotics. She moved into our skilled nursing home care facility 3 days ago. Timely specialized care is necessary to prevent complications, like infections that can become life-threatening. A group of nurse judges experienced in the treatment of venous ulcer validated 84 nursing diagnoses and outcomes, and 306 interventions. Patient who needs wound care for a chronic venous stasis ulcer on the lower leg. Venous thromboembolism occurs majorly in two ways like pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. This content is owned by the AAFP. Any of the lower leg veins can be affected. The pressure ulcer needs to be taken into consideration as a potential cause during the septic workup. This is often used alongside compression therapy to reduce swelling. These ulcers are caused by poor circulation, diabetes and other conditions. When seated in a chair or bed, raise the patients legs as needed. There are numerous online resources for lay education. She found a passion in the ER and has stayed in this department for 30 years. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. The treatment goal for venous ulcers is to reduce the edema, promote ulcer healing, and prevent a recurrence of the ulcer. 1, 28 Goals of compression therapy. Leg elevation. This article has been double-blind peer reviewed Further evaluation with biopsy or referral to a subspecialist is warranted for venous ulcers if healing stalls or the ulcer has an atypical appearance. Compression therapy reduces edema, improves venous reflux, enhances healing of ulcers, and reduces pain.23 Success rates range from 30 to 60 percent at 24 weeks, and 70 to 85 percent after one year.22 After an ulcer has healed, lifelong maintenance of compression therapy may reduce the risk of recurrence.12,24,25 However, adherence to the therapy may be limited by pain; drainage; application difficulty; and physical limitations, including obesity and contact dermatitis.19 Contraindications to compression therapy include clinically significant arterial disease and uncompensated heart failure. Desired Outcome: The patients skin integrity will be at its best by adhering to the decubitus ulcer treatment plan, Nursing Diagnosis: Risk for Ineffective Health Maintenance related to impaired functional status, need for long-term pressure management, and the possible need for special equipment secondary to venous stasis ulcers. The patient will demonstrate increased tolerance to activity. Most patients have venous leg ulcer due to chronic venous insufficiency. There is no evidence that collagenase is superior to sharp debridement.23 Larval therapy using maggots is an effective method of debridement with added potential for disinfection, stimulation of healing, and biofilm inhibition and eradication.24,25 Potential barriers to larval debridement include patient acceptability and pain.26,27 Autolytic debridement uses moisture-retentive dressings and may be used in addition to other forms of debridement. Debridement may be sharp, enzymatic, mechanical, larval, or autolytic. The highest CEAP severity score is applied to patients with ulcers that are active, chronic (greater than three months' duration, and especially greater than 12 months' duration), and large (larger than 6 cm in diameter).19,20 Poor prognostic factors for venous ulcers include large size and prolonged duration.21,22. She takes the topics that the students are learning and expands on them to try to help with their understanding of the nursing process and help nursing students pass the NCLEX exams. Factors that may lead to venous incompetence include immobility; ineffective pumping of the calf muscle; and venous valve dysfunction from trauma, congenital absence, venous thrombosis, or phlebitis.14 Subsequently, chronic venous stasis causes pooling of blood in the venous circulatory system triggering further capillary damage and activation of inflammatory process. Assist client with position changes to reduce risk of orthostatic BP changes. SAGE Knowledge. They typically occur in people with vein issues. Start performing active or passive exercises while in bed, including occasionally rotating, flexing, and extending the feet. Historically, trials comparing venous intervention plus compression with compression alone for venous ulcers showed that surgery reduced recurrence but did not improve healing.53 Recent trials show faster healing of venous ulcers when early endovenous ablation to correct superficial venous reflux is performed in conjunction with compression therapy, compared with compression alone or with delayed intervention if the ulcer did not heal after six months.21 The most common complications of endovenous ablation were pain and deep venous thrombosis.21, The recurrence rate of venous ulcers has been reported as high as 70%.35 Venous intervention and long-term use of compression stockings are important for preventing recurrence, and leg elevation can be beneficial when used with compression stockings. Like pentoxifylline therapy, aspirin (300 mg per day) combined with compression therapy has been shown to increase ulcer healing time and reduce ulcer size, compared with compression therapy alone.32 In general, adding aspirin therapy to compression bandages is recommended in the treatment of venous ulcers as long as there are no contraindications to its use. There is inconsistent evidence concerning the benefits and harms of oral aspirin in the treatment of venous ulcers.40,41, Statins. Most common type; women affected more than men; often occurs in older persons, Shallow, painful ulcer located over bony prominences, particularly the gaiter area (over medial malleolus); granulation tissue and fibrin present, Leg elevation, compression therapy, aspirin, pentoxifylline (Trental), surgical management, Associated findings include edema, venous dermatitis, varicosities, and lipodermatosclerosis, Associated with cardiac or cerebrovascular disease; patients may present with claudication, impotence, pain in distal foot; concomitant with venous disease in up to 25 percent of cases, Ulcers are commonly deep, located over bony prominences, round or punched out with sharply demarcated borders; yellow base or necrosis; exposure of tendons, Revascularization, antiplatelet medications, management of risk factors, Most common cause of foot ulcers, usually from diabetes mellitus, Usually occurs on plantar aspect of feet in patients with diabetes, neurologic disorders, or Hansen disease, Off-loading of pressure, topical growth factors; tissue-engineered skin, Usually occurs in patients with limited mobility, Tissue ischemia and necrosis secondary to prolonged pressure, Located over bony prominences; risk factors include excessive moisture and altered mental status, Off-loading of pressure; reduction of excessive moisture, sheer, and friction; adequate nutrition, Compression therapy (inelastic, elastic, intermittent pneumatic), Standard of care; proven benefit (benefit of intermittent pneumatic therapy is less clear); associated with decreased rate of ulcer recurrence, Standard of care when used with compression therapy; minimizes edema; recommended for 30 minutes, three or four times a day, Topical negative pressure (vacuum-assisted closure), No robust evidence regarding its use for venous ulcers, Effective when used with compression therapy; may be useful as monotherapy, Effective when used with compression therapy; dosage of 300 mg once per day, Intravenous administration (not available in the United States) may be beneficial, but data are insufficient to recommend its use; high cost limits use, Oral antibiotic treatment is warranted in cases of suspected cellulitis; routine use of systemic antibiotics provides no healing benefit; benefit of adding the topical antiseptic cadexomer iodine (not available in the United States) is unclear, May be beneficial when used with compression therapy; concern about infection transmission, May be beneficial for severe or refractory cases; associated with decreased rate of ulcer recurrence. Because of limited evidence and no long-term benefit, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not recommended for treatment of venous ulcers.47, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy. Venous ulcers are the most common lower extremity wounds in the United States. Pentoxifylline (Trental) is an inhibitor of platelet aggregation, which reduces blood viscosity and, in turn, improves microcirculation. Anna Curran. August 9, 2022 Modified date: August 21, 2022. She received her RN license in 1997. Chronic venous ulcers significantly impact quality of life. Pentoxifylline is effective when used as monotherapy or with compression therapy for venous ulcers. Your doctor may also recommend certain diagnostic imaging tests. 1 The incidence of venous ulceration increases with age, and women are three times more likely than men to develop venous leg ulcers. . Poor prognostic signs for healing include ulcer duration longer than three months, initial ulcer length of 10 cm or more, presence of lower limb arterial disease, advanced age, and elevated body mass index. Venous stasis ulcers may be treated with gauze impregnated with a zinc oxide tincture (Unna boot). Compression therapy reduces swelling and encourages healthy blood circulation. The patient will verbalize an ability to adapt sufficiently to the existing condition. A 25-year-population research found that it typically takes 5 years from the diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency to the development of an ulcer. If you have a venous leg ulcer, you may also have: swollen ankles (oedema) discolouration or darkening of the skin around the ulcer An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. c. Gently remove dry skin scales from the legs, particularly around the ulcer edges to allow new growth of epithelium. Of the diagnoses developed, 62 are included in ICNP and 23 are new diagnoses, not included. RNspeak. Intermittent pneumatic compression therapy comprises a pump that delivers air to inflatable and deflatable sleeves that embrace extremities, providing intermittent compression.7,23 The benefits of intermittent pneumatic compression are less clear than that of standard continuous compression. Exercise should be encouraged to improve calf muscle pump function.35,54 Good social support and self-efficacy have also been shown to help prevent venous ulcer recurrence.35, This article updates a previous article on this topic by Collins and Seraj.55. Search dates: November 12, 2018; December 27, 2018; January 8, 2019; and March 21, 2019. Patient information: See related handout on venous ulcers, written by the authors of this article. Negative pressure wound therapy is not recommended as a primary treatment of venous ulcers.48 There may be a future role for newer, ultraportable, single-use systems that can be used underneath compression devices.49,50, Venous ulcers that do not improve within four weeks of standard wound care should prompt consideration of adjunctive treatment options.51, Cellular and Tissue-Based Products. Because bacterial colonization and infection may contribute to poor healing, systemic antibiotics are often used to treat venous ulcers. Patient information: See related handout on venous ulcers. Patients typically experience no pain to mild pain in the extremity, which is relieved with elevation. 2 Irrigate in the shower or bathe in buckets or bowls lined with a clean plastic bag to reduce the risk of cross-infection. Leg elevation minimizes edema in patients with venous insufficiency and is recommended as adjunctive therapy for venous ulcers. Possible causes of venous ulcers include inflammatory processes resulting in leukocyte activation, endothelial damage, platelet aggregation, and intracellular edema. Associated findings include lower extremity varicosities, edema, venous dermatitis, and lipodermatosclerosis. Buy on Amazon. Cellulitis or sepsis may develop in complicated wounds, necessitating antibiotic therapy. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference. Venous ulcers are leg ulcers caused by problems with blood flow (circulation) in your leg veins. These venoactive drugs theoretically work by improving venous tone and decreasing capillary permeability. Less often, patients have arterial leg ulcer resulting from peripheral arterial occlusive disease, the most common cause of which is arteriosclerosis. Any delay in care increases the risk of infection, sepsis, amputation, skin cancers, and death. Figure Venous stasis ulcers are often on the ankle or calf and are painful and red. Data Sources: We conducted searches in PubMed, Essential Evidence Plus, the Cochrane database, and Google Scholar using the key terms venous ulcers and venous stasis ulcers. Topical negative pressure, also called vacuum-assisted closure, has been shown to help reduce wound depth and volume compared with a hydrocolloid gel and gauze regimen for wounds of any etiology.30 However, clinically meaningful outcomes, such as healing time, have not yet been adequately studied. Further evaluation with biopsy or referral to a subspecialist is warranted if ulcer healing stalls or the ulcer has an atypical appearance. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Valves in the veins prevent backflow, but failure of the valves results in increased pressure in the veins. Compression stockings are removed at night and should be replaced every six months because of loss of compression with regular washing. Compression therapy is the standard of care for venous ulcers and chronic venous insufficiency.23,45 A recent Cochrane review found that venous ulcers heal more quickly with compression therapy than without.45 Methods include inelastic, elastic, and intermittent pneumatic compression. A systematic review of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients with chronic wounds found only one trial that addressed venous ulcers. Interventions for Venous Insufficiency Encourage the patient to elevate the legs above the level of the heart several times per day. Compression therapy has been proven beneficial for venous ulcer treatment and is the standard of care. Evidence has not shown that any one dressing is superior when used with appropriate compression therapy. Mechanical debridement (wet-to-dry dressings, pulsed lavage, whirlpool) has fallen out of favor. Venous stasis ulcers often present as shallow, irregular, well-defined ulcers with fibrinous material at the base at the distal end of the legs across the medial surface. Venous ulcers are open skin lesions that occur in an area affected by venous hypertension.1 The prevalence of venous ulcers in the United States ranges from 1% to 3%.2,3 In the United States, 10% to 35% of adults have chronic venous insufficiency, and 4% of adults 65 years or older have venous ulcers.4 Risk factors for venous ulcers include age 55 years or older, family history of chronic venous insufficiency, higher body mass index, history of pulmonary embolism or superficial/deep venous thrombosis, lower extremity skeletal or joint disease, higher number of pregnancies, parental history of ankle ulcers, physical inactivity, history of ulcers, severe lipodermatosclerosis (panniculitis that leads to skin induration or hardening, increased pigmentation, swelling, and redness), and venous reflux in deep veins.5 Poor prognostic signs for healing include ulcer duration longer than three months, ulcer length of 10 cm (3.9 in) or more, presence of lower limb arterial disease, advanced age, and elevated body mass index.6, Complications of venous ulcers include infections and skin cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma.7,8 Venous ulcers are a major cause of morbidity and can lead to high medical costs.3 Economic and personal impacts include frequent visits to health care facilities, loss of productivity, increased disability, discomfort, need for dressing changes, and recurrent hospitalizations. Nursing care plans: Diagnoses, interventions, & outcomes. The rationale for cleaning leg ulcers is the removal of any dry skin due to the wearing of bandages, it also removes any build-up of emollients that are being used. Patients experience poor quality of life as a result of pain and immobility, and they require advanced levels of wound care. Nursing Diagnosis: Impaired Peripheral Tissue Perfusion related to deficient knowledge of risk factors secondary to venous stasis ulcers as evidenced by edema, decreased peripheral pulses, capillary refill time > 3 seconds, and altered skin characteristics. See permissionsforcopyrightquestions and/or permission requests. More analgesics should be given as needed or as directed. The patient will demonstrate improved tissue perfusion as evidenced by adequate peripheral pulses, absence of edema, and normal skin color and temperature. Venous ulcers are large and irregularly shaped with well-defined borders and a shallow, sloping edge. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Her experience spans almost 30 years in nursing, starting as an LVN in 1993. VLUs are the result of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) in the legs. However, the dermatologic and vascular problems that lead to the development of venous stasis ulcers are brought on by chronic venous hypertension that results when retrograde flow, obstruction, or both exist. Manage Settings 2 In some studies, 50% of patients had venous ulcers that persisted for more than 9 months, and 20% had ulcers that did not document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This process is thought to be the primary underlying mechanism for ulcer formation.10 Valve dysfunction, outflow obstruction, arteriovenous malformation, and calf muscle pump failure contribute to the pathogenesis of venous hypertension.8 Factors associated with venous incompetence are age, sex, family history of varicose veins, obesity, phlebitis, previous leg injury, and prolonged standing or sitting posture.11 Venous ulcers result from a complex process secondary to increased pressure (venous hypertension) and inflammation within the venous circulation, vein wall, and valve leaflet with extravasation of inflammatory cells and molecules into the interstitium.12, Clinical history, presentation, and physical examination findings help differentiate venous ulcers from other lower extremity ulcers (Table 15 ). How to Cure Venous Leg Ulcers Mark Whiteley. Encouraging the patient through physical therapy to get out of bed and sit down and carry out the necessary exercises. Remind the client not to cross their legs or hyperextend their knees in positions where they are seated with their legs hanging or lying jackknife. Physically restricting circulation reduces blood flow and heightens venous stasis in the pelvic, popliteal, and leg veins, causing swelling and discomfort to worsen. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Patients treated with debridement at each physician's office visit had significant reduction in wound size compared with those not treated with debridement.20. Clean, persistent wounds that are not healing may benefit from palliative wound care. Even under perfect conditions, a pressure ulcer may take weeks or months to heal. Start providing wound care according to the decubitus ulcers development. The healing capacity of the pressure damage is maximized by providing the appropriate wound care following the stage of the decubitus ulcer. Common drugs in this class include saponins (e.g., horse chestnut seed extract), flavonoids (e.g., rutosides, diosmin, hesperidin), and micronized purified flavonoid fraction.43 Although phlebotonics may improve edema and other signs and symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency (e.g., trophic disorders, cramps, restless legs, swelling, paresthesia), there was no difference in venous ulcer healing when compared with placebo.44, Antibiotics.