Venous Stasis Ulcer Formation and Management

What Are Venous Stasis Ulcers?

Venous stasis ulcer, also referred to as stasis ulcer, venous insufficiency ulcer, or varicose vein ulcer is an open skin sore that can appear as a result of venous stasis in the leg veins.

Venous stasis ulcers are most often associated with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and varicose veins and affect nearly 1% of people in the United States.

Venous Stasis Ulcer Causes

Venous stasis ulcer can develop when blood pools for extended periods of time within a specific area of a vein.  Occurring as a result of poor venous circulation, and specifically when one-way vein valves weaken and allow blood to leak backwards in a vein, venous stasis ulcers tend to develop as venous blood pressure and blood pooling within the vein increases.

Most often forming around the ankles and lower legs, venous stasis ulcers occur when this increase in vein pressure and accompanying increase of fluid prevent essential nutrients from reaching the tissues of the affected area.  Over time this increased vein pressure and lack of essential cell nutrients cause issues with the skin in the lower leg, resulting in the formation of an open venous stasis ulcer on the skin.

Venous Stasis Ulcer Symptoms

The development of an venous stasis ulcer is a serious medical condition that is usually preceded by a series of symptoms, including:

• The development of stasis dermatitis, a condition usually observed in the lower legs and characterized by itchy skin, fluid retention, and noticeable changes in skin color and texture.
• Swelling
• Localized pain and discomfort
• A general “heaviness” in the limbs of the affected area.

The venous stasis ulcer itself has several distinct characteristics, including:

• Being a shallow sore with a red or purple base (resulting from pooling blood) accompanied by the appearance of yellow, crust-like tissue around the perimeter of the sore
• A brownish discoloration of the skin surrounding the venous stasis ulcer
• The affected area being warm/hot to the touch 
• Localized pain
• Oozing of pus

Unlike most wounds of the skin, which tend to heal quickly, a venous stasis ulcer lacks the proper oxygen and nutrients required to support the natural healing process; this often results in prolonged or poor healing and a significant increase in the risk of infection.

Venous Stasis Ulcer Treatment

A venous stasis ulcer is an open wound that requires treatment by a medical professional. As part of the venous stasis ulcer treatment process, your doctor will treat the wound for infection and recommend a treatment routine designed to protect the affected skin tissues and reduce pressure in and around the affected area. This treatment is referred to as wound care.

Another treatment routine includes wearing compression stockings and raising your legs above your heart for 30-minutes, three to four times a day.

Depending on the severity of the venous stasis and resulting venous stasis ulcer, your vein doctor could recommend minimally invasive varicose veins treatment options that will removed veins contributing to your ulcers.

Most venous stasis ulcers heal after a couple months of continuous treatment; however, this often depends on the quality of the vein doctor you are seeking treatment from.  Considering this, if the underlying cause of the ulcer is not properly treated, the venous stasis ulcer will take longer to heal, might not heal, or could reappear in the future.

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