pressure ulcers

[2bnurse15]

what vascular assessments and other local wound assessments could you perform on a pt who has a stage 3 ulcer on their heal, to eliminate the presence of any arterial disease of the lower leg and to gather base line data???

[Idaho Murse]

could check capillary refill.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

i'm not about the reasoning of your question. we assess to gather data, not to make medical decisions. i can give you some really good websites on how to assess pressure ulcers and how to assess the lower circulation. however, making a judgment about them is really in the doctor's realm. we can make educated guesses, but it is really up to a doctor to say what the medical cause of the pressure ulcer is. did you check the patient's history and physical exam information? wrong diagnosis website lists 31 causes for poor healing of wounds: http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/poor_wound_healing.htm

with regard to assessment, see:

• http://www.nursingquality.org/ndnqipressureulcertraining/module1/default.aspx - pressure ulcer training tutorial (includes photos)
  
• http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/581714 - diagnosis, staging, and treatment of pressure ulcers: an expert interview with carol a. white ms, rn, anpc, gnpc, dnp©
  
• http://meded.ucsd.edu/clinicalmed/extremities.htm - examination of the lower extremities
  
• http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/leg_ulcers.htm - leg ulcers
  
  • http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/medical/decubitus_ulcer.htm - decubitus ulcer