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Management of Venous Stasis Ulcers in the Older Adult

  • Dermatology and Wound Care (M Reddy, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Venous stasis disease is common among older adults due to calf muscle pump failure, immobility, chronic edema, and obesity. Increased venous pressure increases the capillaries’ permeability allowing fluid, proteins, and blood cells to leak into the tissues. Ulceration is precipitated by reduced oxygen diffusion to the skin and microvasculature damages. While most chronic leg ulcers are caused by venous stasis disease, there is a need to rule out other underlying pathologies including arterial, neuropathic, metabolic, hematological, infectious, malignant, and inflammatory diseases. Compression therapy with high stiffness index is the mainstay of treatment for venous leg ulcers. Adherence to compression therapy could be a challenge in the older population due to reduced dexterity, muscle strength, range of motion, and flexibility. Medications such as pentoxifylline, flavonoids, and zinc have been shown to have a positive role in the management of venous disease.

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Conflict of Interest

Kevin Y. Woo has received compensation from Mölnlycke, Hollister Wound Care, Medline Industries, Inc., and 3M for participation in speakers bureaus.

Kimberly LeBlanc has received compensation from Mölnlycke, Hollister Wound Care, and 3M for participation in speakers bureaus, and has also served on an advisory board for ConvaTec.

Matthew Livingston has received compensation from Medline Industries, Inc., for service as a consultant.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen’s University, 92 Barrie Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada

    Kevin Y. Woo & Kimberly LeBlanc

  2. Scottsdale Healthcare, Scottsdale, AZ, USA

    Matthew Livingston

Authors
  1. Kevin Y. Woo
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  2. Kimberly LeBlanc
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  3. Matthew Livingston
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Correspondence to Kevin Y. Woo.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Dermatology and Wound Care

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Woo, K.Y., LeBlanc, K. & Livingston, M. Management of Venous Stasis Ulcers in the Older Adult. Curr Geri Rep 4, 229–236 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13670-015-0138-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13670-015-0138-5

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