People with vascular ulcers in outpatient nursing care: a study of sociodemographic and clinical variables

The aim of this study was to analyze the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of people with vascular ulcers and to investigate the association between these variables. This cross-sectional, observational clinical study was conducted in outpatient clinics from February to August 2009. Interview, clinical exam, Pressure Ulcer Scale Healing and photographic registry of the wounds were performed. Forty-two individuals participated who were, on average, 60 (± 12) years old, 73.8% males, with single wounds (66.7%) resulting from alterations in venous circulation (90.5%). Their wounds had lasted for up to one year (55.5%). There was an association between the PUSH score (p=0.019) and depth of wound (p=0.027) with currently performing occupational activity, as well as between history of tobacco use and gender (p=0.049). The sociodemographic characteristics that were observed were similar to the others, except for being male, which indicates the need for more studies in the population in Goiânia, Brazil.