Question

The ankle brachial index or ABI associated with a lower extremity wound most likely to heal after debridement is?

Answer 1

ANKLE BRACHIAL PRESSURE INDEX:

It is the systolic pressure at the ankle, divided by the systolic pressure at the arm.

• It is a specific and sensitive metric for the diagnosis of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD).
• ABI has also been shown to predict mortality and adverse cardiovascular events independent of other risk factors.
• The ABI is performed by measuring the systolic blood pressure from both brachial arteries and from both the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial arteries after the patient has been at rest in the supine position for 5- 10 minutes.
• The systolic pressures are recorded with a handheld 5- or 10-mHz Doppler instrument.

Calculating the ABI

• An ABI is calculated for each leg. The ABI value is determined by taking the higher pressure of the 2 arteries at the ankle, divided by the brachial arterial systolic pressure. In calculating the ABI, the higher of the two brachial systolic pressure measurements is used.
• In normal individuals, there should be a minimal (less than 10 mm Hg) interarm systolic pressure gradient during a routine examination.
• Calculated ABI values should be recorded to 2 decimal places.

Interpreting the Ankle Brachial Index

• Normal ABI ranges from 1.0 — 1.4
  1. Pressure is normally higher in the ankle than the arm.
• Values above 1.4 suggest a noncompressible calcified vessel.
• An value below 0.9 is considered diagnostic of PAD.
• Values less than 0.5 suggests severe PAD.