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Peripheral Vascular Disease

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Peripheral Venous Disease Versus Peripheral Artery Disease

Interactive Learning: Click on the words 1-7 to expose the characteristics of venous and arterial disease

Dull and Constant

Sharp, intermittent claudication. You walk and pain occurs, you stop and pain goes away

Puse is present but hard to fill due to edema.  Remember that pulse is arterial flow. The problem is venous.

 Pulse is decreased or absent. Remember there is no or ↓ arterial blood flow

Yes! Edema occurs since blood pools or there is venous stasis

No edema due to no or decreased blood flow

Temp: Warm

Color: Ruddy, brownish, yellowish

Exrtremity is Pale, HAIRLESS, and skin is thin due to  DECREASED oxygen. Yes, arterial blood carries the nutrients to tissues.

There may be venous stasis wounds w/irregular shape. Usually no gangrene. Gangrene occurs due to NO arterial blood flow.

Arterial sores are regular in shape, red round sores. Gangrene due to no or decreased blood flow.

Elevate legs to increase venous return and wear elastic stockings.

Dangle legs to ↑ blood flow. Let gravity do its thing

Elastic stockings, Leg elevation, daily walking, AVOID standing for prolonged periods of time, and weight Management.

No smoking, aspirin, vasodilators, good skin care to prevent ulcers, avoid tight shoes/clothes, & surgery such as femoral-popliteal bypass.

Drag the characteristic of the right to the appropriate box on the left.  It is a characteristic of PAD or PVD?

  • The ankle-brachial index test compares the blood pressure measured at the ankle with the blood pressure measured at the arm. A low ankle-brachial index number can indicate narrowing or blockage of the arteries in the legs. 
  • Normal cut-off values for ABI are between 0.9 and 1.4. An abnormal ankle-brachial index- below 0.9-is a powerful independent marker of cardiovascular risk.
  • Look at the picture below and notice that the ankle pressure goes on the numerator (top) and the arm pressure on the denominator (bottom)
  • Good foot care: lanolin/petrolium jelly to intact skin, lose weight, assess daily, use electric razors to shave to prevent wounds.

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Know this! Questions



What is the best medication for Raynaud’s? Calcium channel blockers are the class of drugs most widely used for treatment of Raynaud syndrome—especially the dihydropyridines (eg, nifedipine, nicardipine), which are the most potent vasodilators. Nifedipine is the customary first choice

Buerger’s Disease

Buerger’s disease (also known as thromboangiitis obliterans) affects blood vessels in the body, most commonly in the arms and legs. Blood vessels swell, which can prevent blood flow, causing clots to form. Client experience intermittent claudication or pain with walking. This can lead to pain, tissue damage, and even gangrene (dead tissue). Risk factors: smoking, males, elderly, ↑ cholesterol, ↑ coagulation state, ↑ triglycerides, and diabetes. Tx vasodilators, avoid fatty foods, and amputations if gangrene is present.