Kathleen Rich

Iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis: Percutaneous endovascular treatment options

Venous thromboembolism is defined as an acute venous thrombotic event that targets two disease entities: deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, or both. The most common site of DVT origin is in the lower extremities, with 50% of patients exhibiting no symptoms. Although anticoagulation is the gold standard for DVT, early clot removal, especially of proximal iliofemoral DVT, is felt to reduce the incidence of postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) by preserving valve function. Up to one-half of all patients with an iliofemoral DVT treated only with anticoagulation subsequently develop long-term complications, including PTS. Beside anticoagulation, DVT treatment options may include pharmaceutical and/or mechanical therapies. Mechanical therapies consist of either endovascular percutaneous catheter-directed (PCD) interventions or open operative thrombectomy. There are several different PCD procedures available, consisting of catheter-directed thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy, combination pharmacomechanical devices, and postthrombus extraction (angioplasty and/or stenting). Endovascular therapies in the management of acute iliofemoral DVT are evolving with a variety of devices available to treat this disease entity. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the PCD therapies used when treating patients experiencing an acute iliofemoral DVT along with associated nursing considerations. Off-label device use is not included.

Clinical guidelines: grading the evidence behind the practice.

Clinical practice guidelines are statements to assist in healthcare decisions for patients with the same illness or procedure. Guidelines comprise elements that describe different aspects of the patients condition and the required care. Many organizations publish guidelines, including the Society for Vascular Nursing. Evidence is the foundation of guidelines and their practice recommendations. This evidence is primarily from research. Developing a grading system for the research and the associated practice elements improves the strength of a guidelines statements. This article discusses the grading system selected by the Society for Vascular Nursing (SVN) Practice and Research Committee when creating the forthcoming carotid stent nursing practice guideline.

Toe blood pressure and toe-brachial index

TBP and TBI are considered more accurate in assessing lower extremity perfusion in those patients with a falsely elevated ABI suspected from medial arterial calcification. Like the ABI, a TBI may be obtained by the nurse through a similar procedure using a sphygmomanometer and hand-held Doppler. Knowledge by the vascular nurse of this noninvasive technique will assist in a more timely recognition of PAD and may improve long-term patient outcomes.

The effects of leg/body position on transcutaneous oxygen measurements after lower-extremity arterial revascularization

A postoperative nursing goal in a patient with peripheral artery disease requiring lower-extremity arterial reconstruction surgery is to maintain blood flow and tissue oxygenation to the revascularized extremity. This may be achieved through extremity positioning. Transcutaneous oxygen (TcPO(2)) measurements provide a noninvasive objective determination of oxygen at the skin surface and assessment of underlying circulation and tissue oxygenation. The purpose of this study was to determine which lower-extremity position afforded the highest TcPO(2) in 10 subjects with a lower-extremity arterial revascularization procedure preoperatively and 24 and 48 hours postoperatively. Hypotheses included comparing preoperative and postoperative TcPO(2) measurements, leg skin temperatures, and limb volumes. The subjects were studied in three different leg/body positions: supine with legs extended, sitting with legs extended, and supine with legs-elevated 20 degrees using the Radiometer TCM30 (Radiometer; Copenhagen) and PhysitempTH-5 Thermalert (Physitemp; Clifton, NJ) monitors. There was no change in the postoperative leg TcPO(2) measurements or limb volumes compared with preoperative measurements (P = .12-.92). A small sample size and lack of peripheral artery disease stratification were among study limitations. Significant to the nursing care of patients with vascular dsease is the finding that any of the leg/body positions in this study could be used postoperatively on the revascularized extremity without decreasing TcPO(2) measurements.

The nuts and bolts in conducting a research study

When conducting research, there are certain basic points that need to be considered in order to have a successful outcome. The purpose of this poster is to delineate the practicalities involved after one has written a research proposal. This briefly includes pursuing grant opportunities, application to the Institutional Review Board, targeting the physical setting for the study, purchasing equipment, developing data collection records with the computer data entry program, and designing subject recruitment information and troubleshooting.