EVALUATION OF PROGNOSTIC FACTORS RELATED TO HEALING OF VENOUS ULCERATIONS OF LOWER EXTREMITIES

• Main Authors: Aleksandar Karanikolić, Danijela Popović, Milenko Stanojević, Dejan Petrović, Vesna Karanikolić
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University in Nis, Faculty of Medicine 2010-03-01
• Series: Acta Medica Medianae
• Subjects: venous ulcerations; healing rate; prognostic factor
• Online Access: http://publisher.medfak.ni.ac.rs/2010-html/1-broj/Vesna%20Karanikolic-Evaluation%20of%20prognostic...pdf

Venous ulcerations occur in 1% of human population, being more frequent in the population over 65 years of age. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic factors related to healing of venous ulcerations of the lower extremities treated with multi-layer bandage.The research was based on the prospective randomized study conducted at the Outpatient Clinic for Dermal and Sexual Diseases and Medical Center in Doljevac during the period from 2007 until 2008. The research involved a group of 50 patients of both sexes with venous ulcerations of the lower extremities. Patients were followed up for 24 weeks from the beginning of the treatment.Out of a total of 50 patients, 30 (60%) were of female sex and 20 (40%) of male sex. The mean age of the patients was 63.3±6.32 years. In thirteen patients (26%), there was no complete healing of chronical venous ulcerations. Locoregional characteristics of ulcerative changes indicated no significant difference in the average number of ulcers, their localization, duration, and average surface. The analysis made by Kendall’s tau_b correlation coefficient showed that sex and localization had no significant correlation with the healing of ulcerative changes. Infection and swelling of the lower leg showed poor but significant positive correlation with a change in the healing rate (p<0.05). Pearson's correlation coefficient showed a significant positive correlation between the number (C=0.5) and surface (C=0.7) of ulcerative changes with the healing rate (p<0.001).Venous ulceration treatment is a big social and medical problem. The number and surface of ulcerative changes present the most important healing prognostic factors.