Peripheral Vascular Disease
Running header: CLAUDICATION 1
CLAUDICATION 4
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Yanela Viguera
Question One
The cause of the patient’s pain and cramping in his right calf was Claudication that is synonymous with limb ischemia. Ischemia is a condition where there is restricted blood flow to the tissues thus causing limited oxygen that is always needed to keep the body tissues alive and in function and also leads to reduced oxygen, nutrient supply, and poor metabolic waste removal. The patient had limb ischemia that resulted from artery’s progressive lining thickening which is caused by plaque buildup thus restricting the adequate flow of blood to the patient’s right limb as a result of the blockage or narrowing by the plaque(Marrocco & Bush, 2010).
Question Two
There was decreased hair on the patient’s right leg because due to the condition the patient was suffering from, which is Claudication that is characterized by ischemia. The patient experienced ischemia, which prevented an adequate flow of blood, reduced oxygen supply, the supply of nutrients to the right leg, and it led to poor metabolic removal of waste materials. With these conditions, hair did not have an adequate environment for growth like the hair on the right leg; thus, it resulted in decreased hair growth on the right leg.
Question Three
The strategic physical assessment after surgery to determine the adequacy of the patient’s circulation is that the patient is that the pain on that was being experienced in the right leg will disappear. By assessing this, it will be evident that the surgery was helpful to the patient, and thus, the patient has an adequate blood supply to the right leg. Also, the decreased hair on the leg will start growing well as the one on the left leg due to sufficient blood and nutrient supply to the leg; thus, the hair getting essential nutrients for growth.
Question Four
Intermittent treatment for Claudication for non-occlusion is through surgery and medications. The surgical procedures are conducted to patients that do not respond to medications. It includes endovascular and bypassing of the arteries types of surgeries.
Medications are used because they are often noninvasive; the most used medications are Cilostazol that reduces pain by artery dilation hence improving blood flow. The other one is Pentoxifylline that reduces blood viscosity hence facilitates its easier flow in the arteries hence increased flow of blood to muscles(Hennion & Siano, 2013).
Reference
Hennion, D. R., & Siano, K. A. (2013). Diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial disease. American Family Physician.
Marrocco, C. J., & Bush, H. R. L. (2010). Peripheral arterial disease. In High Risk Diabetic Foot: Treatment and Prevention. https://doi.org/10.3109/9781420083026