In: Nursing
A 47-year-old patient has smoked for 25 years. The patient has a history of cardiovascular disease and now he has noticed his lower legs have been aching and are pale, hairless, and diminished or absent pulses.
Assessment questions to be included are type of pain, the patient usually complains of claudication(muscle pain on mild exertion like walking a few feet). This includes the onset, duration, type of pain and its aggrevating and relieving factors.
He should be asked about his smoking history which includes what he smokes, how much he smokes per day and for how long has he been smoking
Pathophysiology of this condition(PAD-Peripheral Artery Disease) is due to the blockade of the arteries supplying blood to the lower limbs usually secondary to atherosclerosis.
The arteries affected by PAD include:
which leads to failure of kidneys, stomach and most commonly legs
Education for patient and his significant
other: