Venous Stasis Ulcer Treatments

Why would I need venous stasis ulcer treatments?

You might benefit from venous stasis ulcer treatments if you have an open wound (ulcer) on your leg or foot.

Venous stasis ulcers typically develop if you have advanced chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). This condition arises when the valves in your leg veins don’t work as they should. The valves are supposed to open as blood pumps up the legs, then close in between to prevent gravity from drawing the blood back down to your feet.

If your valves are weak or damaged, blood can leak back through the improperly sealed valves and pool in the veins. This pooling is what causes unsightly varicose veins. CVI can cause fluid retention and damage to the tissues, encouraging wound development.

These wounds — venous stasis ulcers — are resistant to healing. They can penetrate the deep layers of tissue down to the bone and are likely to get infected. A severe infection could lead to tissue death (gangrene) and loss of the affected limb. Venous stasis ulcer treatments at Anaheim Wound Care help your wounds to heal and prevent amputation.

What does venous stasis ulcer treatment involve?

Treating venous stasis ulcers requires two approaches — dealing with the ulcers and helping them heal, and resolving the circulation problem that caused the ulcers.

It’s essential to resolve the underlying cause of the ulcers by improving blood flow to your legs. This helps the wound healing treatments work better and stops the condition from worsening. Treating chronic venous insufficiency might involve having a procedure, such as endovenous laser therapy, radiofrequency ablation, or sclerotherapy.

These vein treatments use different techniques but have similar results. They close down damaged veins, so blood flows along healthier vessels. The treated veins gradually break down and disappear, resolving the circulation problem.

What venous stasis ulcer treatments might I need?

Before treating your venous stasis ulcers, Dr. Rash performs a thorough evaluation. He does several tests, including skin perfusion vascular testing to check the blood flow in your lower limbs and real-time bacterial fluorescence imaging to assess the bacteria levels in the wound.

Next, Dr. Rash carefully cleans the ulcers and debrides them, removing all the infected and dead tissue. The exact treatment you need for your venous stasis ulcers depends on your specific needs but could include advanced techniques like:

• Amnion membrane allografts
• Multi-layer compression therapy
• Epidermal grafting
• Noncontact low-frequency ultrasound
• Oxidized regenerated cellulose silver
• Native collagen
• Specialty dressings and wraps
• Skin substitutes
• Skin biologic therapy

With Dr. Rash’s expertise in wound care, you’re more likely to find your wounds heal, so you avoid the need for amputation.

To learn more about venous stasis ulcer treatments, call Anaheim Wound Care today or book an appointment online.