Skin Temperature and Perfusion in Venous Disease

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Venous ulcers pose a serious health threat to over 2 millions Americans who suffer from them. It is critical to study individuals with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a known culprit of ulcers, in hopes of finding ways to prevent them. The purpose of this study is to measure skin temperature and tissue perfusion of both lower legs of older adults with CVI. The medial aspect of both lower legs above the malleolus (most vulnerable to ulceration) will be measured with an infrared thermometer to evaluate skin temperature and a laser Doppler flowmeter to evaluate tissue perfusion. The aim is to establish norm data and describe the correlation between skin temperature and tissue perfusion. The descriptive comparative study will compare skin temperature and tissue perfusion in a sample of 52 subjects (26 with CVI and 26 without CVI) at least 50 years of age recruited from various outpatient and community settings. Data will be analyzed using ANOVA and correlations. The findings of this study will add to the scant knowledge base regarding skin temperature and tissue perfusion of lower leg skin affected by CVI. The data will reveal whether these two "vital signs," particularly skin temperature, can be incorporated in a prediction/prevention model of lower leg complications. It is hypothesized that when skin temperature and perfusion are outside of a normal range (elevated), there may be an increased likelihood of ulcer development. The data obtained will be incorporated into an intervention protocol to prevent venous leg complications.