Skin wounds (also known as ulcers) are a significant health concern affecting the elderly, diabetics, individuals with vascular disease and amputees. These wounds can penetrate into the muscle, and to the bone; they are painful and prone to infection. Understanding the conditions that lead to ulcer formation is a long term goal of this research. To move toward that goal, this initial pilot study was conducted.
Loading has been shown to cause a reduction in blood flow; in turn, reduced blood flow has been linked to tissue death and the formation of skin wounds. The objective of this study was to compare blood flow responses between legs with existing chronic skin ulcers and healthy legs under two loading conditions. Understanding changes in blood flow responses to load across healthy patients and patients with skin ulcers is critical to improving our understanding of skin wound formation, developing better preventive measures, and providing inputs for tissue injury models.
Patients with wounds on their legs were recruited from the Sparrow Hospital Wound and Hyperbaric Clinic. Laser Doppler was used to monitor and record the skin perfusion (blood flow at the skin level) while both normal (perpendicular to the skin) and combined normal and shear (parallel to the skin) loads were applied to the lower leg.
Analysis of these data are ongoing, however initial findings indicate statistical differences in reactive hyperemia responses between the legs with wounds and healthy legs for both load conditions.
This work will be presented at the World Congress of Biomechanics.
Wu Pan, Josh P. Drost, Marc D. Basson, Tamara Reid Bush. Blood Flow Responses to Loading in Patients with Leg Wounds and Healthy People: Interpretations for Skin Ulcers. (Abstract). 7th World Congress of Biomechanics. Boston. July. 2014