Venous Insufficiency

By Laurie Swezey RN, BSN, CWOCN, CWS, FACCWS

Lower extremity venous insufficiency ulcers represent approximately 80% of the leg ulcers typically seen in wound care facilities. The following statistics help to bring home the seriousness and chronicity of this common health problem:

By Laurie Swezey RN, BSN, CWOCN, CWS, FACCWS

This article is designed to provide a review of cellulitis, an infection affecting the skin which can be life-threatening if not treated.

By Bradley W. Lind and James McGuire DPM, PT, CPed, FAPWHc

Venous leg ulcers are a type of lower extremity wound complicated by excess fluid production, periwound edema, and high bioload produced by venous insufficiency often leading to secondary lymphedema. The Coban™ 2 Layer Compression Therapy System, created by 3M Health Care, was designed to achieve sustained therapeutic compression, while improving the ease of application, and reducing slippage of the dressing during wear. The reduction in layers of the dressing also allows the patient to wear their own footwear and avoid the purchase of a surgical shoe.

by Bruce E. Ruben MD

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) refers to a long-term condition where the veins inside the legs have lost their ability to move blood back up to the heart from the legs. This occurs because the vein walls have weakened to the point where the venous pumps are no longer sufficient enough to send blood back up, against gravity, to the heart. CVI also affects the tiny valves inside the leg veins. When these valves do not close sufficiently, blood seeps back down past the valves and pools in the lower legs.

By Michael Miller DO, FACOS, FAPWCA, WCC

Every so often, in my readings of newspapers, articles, and while pleasure reading, or during conversations with friends and colleagues, I come across a word that smacks me right in the kisser. I was listening to a news commentary and this new buzzword nonchalantly emanated from the speaker's lips. It took me but a second before I realized what an insidiously powerful little devil it was. The speaker droned on about the current political scenario, the state of medical care, and then, in Judge Wapner-like reckoning described his presumed foes points as "counterintuitive." This unusual word "counterintuitive" has a definition that is both painfully simple and thought-provokingly powerful. Intuition is simply the perception of something using common sense. Adding "counter" to it moves it into the realm of mystery and suspense. Counter intuitive, something that is unlikely to be found correct when assessed and evaluated.

By Laurie Swezey RN, BSN, CWOCN, CWS, FACCWS

Compression therapy is the “gold standard” for the treatment of venous ulcers. However, compression therapy is not a one-size-fits-all treatment and the clinician must decide on the right type of compression therapy for the individual client in order to prevent complications from occurring, such as ischemia and necrosis.