CLIENT FOCUSED STUDY

Client Focused Study

Client Focused Study

Introduction

The patient in the given case is suffering from peripheral vascular disease due to hyperlipidaemia. Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) involves damage or blockage in blood vessels away from the heart, Peripheral arteries and veins. Peripheral arteries and veins carry blood to and from the muscles of the arms and legs and abdominal organs. PVD may also affect the arteries that carry blood to the head. When the PAD affects only the arteries and veins, it is called "peripheral arterial disease" (PAD). The main types of PVD include blood clots, swelling (inflammation) and narrowing and obstruction of blood vessels.

Diseases of the arteries can cause

Arterial blockages

Aortic aneurysms

Buerger's Disease

Raynaud's Phenomenon

Diseases of the veins can cause

Venous blood clots

Pulmonary embolism

Phlebitis

Varicose Veins

Arterial blockages

Causes of arterial blockages

PVD may be caused by a condition called "atherosclerosis", a process in which a waxy substance forms inside the arteries. This substance is called "plaque" and is made of cholesterol, fat, calcium and a clotting substance called "fibrin."

When too much plaque in an artery, the artery is blocked and blood flow slows or stops. Decreased blood flow may cause an "ischemia", i.e., an inadequate supply of oxygen to body cells.

Signs and Symptoms

Patients may feel pain in the calves, thighs or buttocks, depending on where the blockage. In general, the intensity of pain is a sign of the severity of the obstruction. In severe cases, it is possible that the toes become blue, the feet are cold and the pulse is weak in the legs. In some cases it could result in death of tissue (so-called "gangrene") and be required amputation.

Sometimes you may feel cramping in the legs when walking, the pain usually worsened with increasing physical activity. These cramps are called "intermittent claudication". As the pain of angina, leg pain caused by intermittent claudication usually goes away with rest. Low temperatures and some medications can also cause pain in the legs.

Because patients with PAD have no symptoms until the damage has begun, it is important to pay attention to possible signs or symptoms such as:

a leg pain when walking short distances, called intermittent claudication

slow healing of abrasions of the leg or foot

poor blood circulation in the feet (cold feet, pale or bluish)

The symptoms of intermittent claudication depend on whether the narrowing of the arteries has been gradually or abruptly.

How a blocked artery is diagnosed?

Doctors can diagnose an arterial obstruction based on symptoms described by the patient and checking the pulse in the arteries of the feet to determine if it is weak. The diagnosis can be confirmed by the following studies:

The study involves injecting a dye into the arteries harmless to determine the severity of obstruction and its location.

When obstructions are not serious, this kind of EVP can be controlled by reducing excess weight, abstaining from snuff and following a regular exercise plan approved by your doctor.

In case of a much clogged artery that causes pain or other symptoms, it may be necessary to perform transcatheter intervention (a balloon angioplasty or stent ...