title: Prognostic factors for venous ulcer healing in a non-selected population of ambulatory patients.
abstract: The rate of decrease in the length of venous ulcers can help identify people with a prognosis of poor healing. This study showed that a decrease of 40 per cent or more at four weeks was predictive of complete recovery at 12 to 24 weeks. Slow healing was associated with incorrect use of compression bandaging, older age and higher body mass index. There was also a correlation between high basal diastolic blood pressure and slow healing. This may have been an indication that these ulcers were not of purely venous origin. The authors believe that their research shows that leg ulcers rarely occur in isolation and often require broad management rather than just local treatment.
authors.affiliation: MSc Gerontological Practice, University of Portsmouth.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sander