Vascular Assessment of the Lower Extremity with a Chronic Wound

Abstract

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects many individuals worldwide and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Controversy exists on whether or not to screen asymptomatic patients. Further complicating this is that many patients with a chronic lower extremity wound are often asymptomatic. PAD and traditional noninvasive vascular studies may be inaccurate in providing a correct diagnosis. A review of current and novel vascular assessment modalities along with their benefits and limitations are presented here. A combination of these vascular assessments may help improve accuracy in diagnosis, providing timely care to those patients in need.

Keywords: Ankle-brachial index; Near-infrared imaging; Skin perfusion pressure; Transcutaneous oxygen pressure measurement.