General
These are the 3 main risk factors for peripheral vascular or artery disease or PAD/PVD.
What are diabetes, smoking, and kidney disease?
Ischemic muscle ache or “leg attack” precipitated by exercise, resolves with rest and is reproducible.
What is intermittent claudication?
This is a nursing diagnosis related to pain.
What is: patient is at risk of experiencing pain?
What is smoking cessation?
Common HTN med for PAD.
What are ACE inhibitors (ramipril)
This is the leading cause of PAD.
What is atherosclerosis?
Physical appearance of the limb.
What is the skin becomes thin, shiny, and taut, and hair loss occurs on the lower legs?
Another nursing diagnosis relating to circulation.
What is at risk of inadequate tissue perfusion?
Professionals can be involved in providing dietary optimization education like the DASH diet.
What is a dietician?
Antiplatelet medication for PAD.
What is ASA or Plavix?
PAD causes thickening of the arteries in these areas of the body.
What are the upper and lower extremities?
This is manifested as numbness or tingling in the toes or feet, and may result from nerve tissue ischemia.
What is paresthesia?
A nursing diagnosis relating to exercise.
What is at risk of exercise intolerance?
What is a foot care nurse?
Considering risk factors, patients with PAD may be on these meds as well.
What is insulin, statins, other HTN meds?
This is a condition characterized by chronic ischemic rest pain lasting more than 2 weeks, arterial leg ulcers, or gangrene of the leg as a result of PAD
What is Critical limb ischemia (CLI)?
Assessments of PAD also include the six Ps.
Pallor: changes in colour
Pain: and deep pain in extremities
Paresthesia: numbness, tingling, progressive loss of sensation
Paralysis: decreased movement, ROM
Poikilothermia: cold legs or feet
Pulselessness: femoral, popliteal, pedal pulses
A nursing diagnosis related to skin health.
What is at risk of poor skin health in extremities?
This professional will work with the patient to develop exercise tolerance.
What is a physiotherapist?
The reason why a nurse should be concerned about natural health products.
Some natural remedies such as:
Angelica, anise, bilberry, bromelain, celery, chamomile, devil’s claw, dong quai, fenugreek, feverfew, garlic, ginger, Ginkgo biloba, goldenseal, horse chestnut, licorice root, lovage root, meadowsweet, motherwort, parsley, passionflower, red clover, rue, turmeric, willow bark
can interfere with clotting.
This is the reason why wounds have delayed healing, wound infection, and tissue necrosis, especially in diabetic patients with PAD.
What is decreased arterial blood flow?
Claudication that progresses to pain at rest; burning pain in feet and toes at rest
What is rest pain?
A nursing diagnosis related to patient teaching.
What is at risk of a knowledge deficit of the disease and treatment plan?
A referral can be sent to this professional to help care for the integument on the lower extremities.
BONUS QUESTION
What medications are used for intermittent claudication?
What are cilostazol and pentoxifylline.