The Practice has invested in a brand new doppler machine!
A Doppler Ultrasound is a machine that sends and receives a sound signal to and from your blood vessels. It tells the clinician whether the blood supply in the blood vessels in your feet is “good” or “bad” and the difference between the pressure in the arteries in your arm and leg.
The procedure is often conducted to help clinicians assess patients who have leg ulcers to rule out peripheral arterial disease. It’s also important to carry out this check as the main treatment for venous ulcers is compression bandaging or stockings to improve the circulation in your legs. It’s not safe to apply compression bandages if the ankle artery pressures are low.
The new machine will cut appointment times down by 50% from 1 hour to an average of 30 minutes (appointment lengths may vary between patients).
During your appointment, the Practice Nurse will assess whether you’re eligible to use the machine.
Some examples of why patients might be excluded are listed below:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Severe PAD
- Lymphoedema
- Any condition that prevents both arm pressures being measured eg post mastectomy
- Very oedematous limbs
- Unable to lie flat or still
- Under 18 years old
For more information on venous leg ulcers please see the NHS Choices page: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/leg-ulcer/diagnosis/
For more information on peripherial arterial disease please see the NHS Choices page: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/peripheral-arterial-disease-pad/diagnosis/
