Lower Limb and Leg Ulcer Assessment and Management

Lower Limb and Leg Ulcer Assessment and Management is an indispensable resource for practitioners in primary and secondary care, offering a practical and accessible guide to treating and managing leg ulcers.

This comprehensive text challenges the misconception that leg ulcers are invariably ‘chronic’. In practice, proactive management will prevent the harm associated with sub-optimal management. Insights are provided into lower limb assessment, early intervention for ulcer prevention, ulcer types and their causes, along with the influence that swelling and biomechanical changes have on the lower limb. The authors draw on international best practice guidance on lymphoedema, wound pain, wound bed preparation, compression therapy, psychological impact, and evidence-based care to enhance leg ulcer management.

Each chapter aims to facilitate reader comprehension and promote productive patient discussions, empowering healthcare professionals to collaborate with patients and improve leg ulcer management rapidly and effectively.

This multi-disciplinary resource covers:

• Normal venous, arterial, and lymphatic function in the lower leg
• Leg ulceration due to venous hypertension, peripheral arterial disease, and lymphoedema
• Leg ulcers of unusual aetiology, addressing autoimmune and inflammatory disorders such as pyoderma gangrenosum, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, sickle cell, and more
• Musculoskeletal changes in the lower limb, assessment, and management to enhance mobility and calf-muscle function
• Clinical management, with topics like wound management, stages of wound healing, exudate management, holistic assessment including vascular assessment, compression therapy, and Laplace’s law
• Pain management with an emphasis on understanding the complexities and features that exacerbate or diminish the pain response
• The personalisation of care, understanding of social determinants of health, and the role of supportive self-management in lifelong management

For professionals seeking evidence-informed approaches to delivering exceptional care, Lower Limb and Leg Ulcer Assessment and Management is an essential companion on the journey to understanding and managing leg ulcers effectively.

Aby Mitchell, Senior Lecturer in Nurse Education, Adult Nursing Department, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care, King’s College London. Aby’s clinical experience spans across burns and plastics, primary care, and physical health in community mental health. Aby is a registered specialist practitioner in district nursing and has an MSc in Advanced Practice (healthcare education). Aby is committed to improving patient care through nurse education.

Georgina Ritchie, Executive Director and Director of Education at Accelerate. Georgina brings over two decades of experience in clinical practice and education. Her journey from military nursing in the British Army to leadership roles in the NHS and academia has honed her expertise in community and district nursing. Georgina is a registered community specialist practitioner and a V300 non-medical prescriber, holding an MEd, with a passion for empowering confident clinical practice through education.

Alison Hopkins MBE, Executive Director and CEO at Accelerate. With over three decades of experience in wound care, Alison established the leg ulcer service at Tower Hamlet’s District Nursing Service in 1989, beginning a life-long passion for compression therapy and community transformation. In 2019 Alison was awarded an MBE for services to nursing and wound care and holds an MSc in Psychology and Health. In addition to overseeing Accelerate, she continues to contribute to academic journals, and speak at conferences, always seeking to challenge the status quo so that excellent wound and lymphoedema care becomes the norm.