Poster Presentation
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Managing Venous Leg Ulcers
Eline Lima Borges, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Dacle Vilma Carvalho, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, Department of Basic Nursing, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and Elenice D. R. de Paula Lima, PhD, RN, School of Nursing, Department of Basic Nursing, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
| Learning Objective #1: the learner will be able to see an efficient and simple protocol to treat lower leg venous ulcer. |
| Learning Objective #2: the learner will be able to discuss a study which evaluated a protocol’s efficacy in the treatment of venous leg ulceration. |
Introduction: Venous leg ulceration is a frequent disabling condition, costly and resistant to treatment, which causes physical and social discomfort. It is estimated that between 3 to 5% of the population over 65 years old suffer from this aggravation. The incidence tends to rise with the aging of the population and increased risk factors, such as smoking, diabetes, and obesity. Several diseases, including disorders and metabolic deficiencies may result in venous lower leg ulceration. The main etiology is the peripheral vascular disease of legs and feet. Venous ulcers recur in approximately 70% of cases. To treat patients with venous lower leg ulcerations, a protocol was implemented in dermatological outpatient care setting in a hospital in Brazil. The protocol starts with full clinical history and careful examination of the wound and legs. Following this first assessment, the wound is cleansed only with warm saline solution and dressed with Hydrocolloid or Alginate dressings, depending on the wound characteristic. Patient’s health education is provided as to hasten the wound healing.Objective: This retrospective study had the purpose to evaluate the effectiveness of this protocol after two years of implementation, hopefully adding with sound data for evidence-based practice in the treatment of lower leg venous ulcer.
Methodology: After IRB’s approval and patient’s consent, data were collected from charts and follow up records of 29 patients with venous leg ulceration treated according to the protocol.
Results: Patients had venous ulceration from 2 to 30 years when starting the treatment. All participants ended up with had their ulcers healed and showed total or partial regression of lower leg edema. Older ulcers tended to take longer to cicatrize but chi square results were not statistically significant for duration of the wound and cicatrisation time. The protocol proved to be effective.