Pathology of Venous Insufficiency
Venous insufficiency is a condition in which the veins have problems sending deoxygenated blood from the extremities’ back to the heart. Inadequate blood flow increases hydrostatic pressure within the venous system which can lead to failure of the venous values which act to stop negative blood flow and the onset of Venous Stasis, when a large volume of blood accumulates in the lower extremities. If this increased hydrostatic pressure is not treated it leads to Chronic Venous Disease (Browse NL, 1982). Table 4 provides an indication of the common conditions associated with venous insufficiencies and the prevalence of Chronic Venous Disease.
Venous insufficiency and hydrostatic pressure within the venous system can be prevented safely with the application of external compression (Roake, 2007). Compression therapy is a recommended treatment for CVD conditions by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, and Ministry of Health in New Zealand (MoH).
Table 4 Prevalence of Common CVD Conditions & Target Encircle Applications
CVD Condition | Prevalence of Condition |
|---|---|
Varicose Veins |
50% of people aged 50 and older (Radiology 2009 ) |
Edema & eczema |
3.0% -11% of the population (AHA 2000) |
Venous ulcers |
0.3% of the adult population (AHA 2000) |
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) |
1 per 1000 persons per year (Turpie 2010) |
| 3-10% of all air travelers(Maurice McKeown 2003) | |
| 1 in 1000 pregnant women (DVTAC 2009) | |
| 20% of patients having major surgery (Royal Adelaide Hospital 2008) | |
| 2.8% - 4.4% of all age-groups worldwide (WHO 2004) |
Figure 2 Normal (left) and damaged (right) venous system.