Healing of an arterial leg ulcer by compression bandaging: a case report.
This case report demonstrates that arterial ulcers may heal with compression therapy. The patient was a 72-year-old woman with elevated blood pressure and type II diabetes mellitus, who underwent angiography because of a painful, non-healing ulcer over the shin. The angiography showed multisegment arterial occlusive disease, not amenable to surgical revascularisation. After 4 months of wearing inelastic bandages, with increased pressure over the ulcer area and hypertension and diabetes under control, the patient was pain-free and the ulcer had healed. The ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI) increased from 0.54 at the start of treatment to 0.70. In patients with arterial leg ulcers, properly applied compression therapy using increased pressure over the wound may lead to an improvement of the arterial flow and to complete healing.
SERGAS (Service Galego of Health) LUGO/Spain.
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Sanchez
Emeritus Professor, SERGAS (Service Galego of Health) LUGO/Spain.
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Partsch
D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D058128:Compression Bandages; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D007871:Leg Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014945:Wound Healing
arterial leg ulcer; arterial occlusive disease; compression bandages