Summary
Summary Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
- Institution
- North-West University (NWU)
An in-depth summary of peripheral artery disease for nursing students.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE✓ Define the concept of peripheral artery disease
✓ Explain the causes of peripheral artery disease
✓ Relate the clinical manifestations of peripheral artery disease to the pathophysiology
✓ thereof
✓ Describe the needed diagnostic tests for this condition
✓ Describe how peripheral artery disease can be prevented
✓ Describe the medications used for peripheral artery disease
✓ Shortly provide the surgical management of peripheral artery disease
Define the concept of peripheral artery disease
• Also known as peripheral vascular disease or peripheral artery occlusive disease
• A group of conditions that include disturbances or obstruction of the circulation in the
arteries, causing arterial insufficiency to the affected organs and tissues.
• Peripheral artery disease does not include coronary arteries, aortic arch, and cerebral
arteries.
• PAD can be acute or chronic
• Buerger's disease and Raynaud's phenomenon are clinical disease entities of PAD.
Explain the causes of peripheral artery disease
• Atherosclerosis: causes blood vessels to be narrower and therefore less blood can flow
through
• Stenosis of arteries: blood vessel is unable to stretch and vasodilate
• Thrombosis: occlusion of a blood vessel leads to ischaemia of other areas
• Emboli: similarly occluding blood vessels and preventing peripheral circulation
Clinical manifestations
About 20% of patients with PAD are asymptomatic if the condition is mild.
• Intermittent claudication (exercise-induced cramping in the legs) triggered by walking
• Mild pain due to incomplete blood vessel occlusion
• Pain at rest as a result of ischaemia, especially after the elevation of the affected limb
• Slow healing of sores, wounds and ulcers causing tissue loss
• Blue or pale skin
• Temperature drops of the skin compared to other areas
• Decreased hair and nail growth on the affected limb and digits
• Gangrene
• Walking difficulty
Pathophysiology:
• PAD is characterized by reduced blood circulation through the peripheral blood vessels.
• This can be due to pump failure, blood and lymphatic vessel alterations or circulatory
insufficiency in the extremities.
• Pump failure: The heart's pumping action is ineffective. This can be due to left- or right-
sided heart failure.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller 229stefanie. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R105,00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
77254 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy summaries for 14 years now