Nursing management : vascular disorders

Problems related to the vascular system include disorders of the arteries, veins and lymphatic vessels. Arterial disorders can be classified as atherosclerotic, aneurysmal and non-atherosclerotic vascular diseases. 1 Peripheral vascular disease (also known as peripheral artery disease) refers to diseases of arteries outside the heart and brain. It occurs when fatty deposits build up in the inner walls of these arteries and affect blood circulation, mainly in the arteries leading to the legs and feet. It ranges from asymptomatic disease, through pain on walking, to pain at rest and limb-threatening reduced blood supply that can lead to surgical amputation. 2 This chapter discusses peripheral artery disease; aortic aneurysm and dissection; and venous diseases, specifically venous thromboembolism and chronic venous insufficiency.