Symptom differentiating between arterial and venous disease in the lower extremities

Early identification of blood vessel disease is crucial for the vascular patient. There are multiple factors in identifying arterial and venous disease. Patients may complain of a broad spectrum of symptoms such as pain, discoloration, coolness, numbness, or wounds to the lower extremities to name a few.1 The more subjective and objective data obtained during a nursing assessment will assist in determining if a patient has arterial and or venous disease. It is believed that there are over 8 million Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) sufferers in the United States alone and millions more around the world.

Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - August 25, 2016 Category: Nursing Authors: Paula Cassell Tags: Clinical Column Source Type: research