Skin Ulcers Flashcards
(27 cards)
leg ulcer definition
open lesion between the knee and the ankle joint that remains unhealed for at least 4 weeks
what percentage of ulcers are venous
60-80%
what is the UK prevalence of leg ulcers
0.1-0.3%
what could be some factors contributing to delayed healing
diabetes, anaemia, infection
pmh relevant to VENOUS ulcer
DVT, varicose veins, orthopaedic surgery on that leg
history/conditions relevant to ARTERIAL ulcer
diabetes, smoker, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease
pain at night is characteristic of which type of leg ulcer?
arterial
what would the rest of the leg be like in an ARTERIAL leg ulcer
pale and cold
is lipodermatosclerosis due to venous or arterial insufficiency?
venous
treatment for venous dermatitis
topical steroids
typical location of a venous ulcer
ankle and gaiter area, medial malleolus
typical location of an arterial ulcer
feet/toes
arterial ulcer appearance
small, well-defined, punched out, sometimes can see underlying structures
what is the main investigation for a leg ulcer
ABPI
What is a normal ABPI
1
ABPI <0.8
arterial
what is the main point of doing ABPI
to find out if the ulcer is an arterial problem
when do you do a wound swab of the leg ulcer
ulcers showing CLINICAL signs of infection
necrobiosis lipoidica
disease of collagen degeneration, thin atrophic skin that can ulcerate easily
what is pyoderma gangrenosum
condition that causes large painful ulcers, exact cause unknown but suspected autoimmune
pyoderma gangrenosum treatment
topical steroids
what is vasculitis
a group of disorders in which there is inflammation of the blood vessels.
what do vasculitis skin lesions look like
purpuric rash
what is the most important treatment for venous ulcer
4 layer compression bandaging
