Examination with HHD ultrasonography is not sufficiently accurate to plan varicose vein surgery. Duplex imaging is recommended before all operations for primary varicose veins.

BACKGROUND: In an elderly population of surgical patients, poor mobility, poor diet and chronic disease contribute to a significant risk of malnutrition. Malnutrition is associated with muscle weakness, fatigue, poor wound healing and immunological dysfunction. The aim of the study was to establish the prevalence of malnutrition in vascular surgical patients and to compare postoperative infection rates in well nourished and malnourished patients. METHODS: A nutritional assessment was performed on 71 patients (49 men; median age 65 (range 26-85) years) attending preassessment for vascular surgical procedures. Nutritional status was measured using validated indicators of malnutrition: estimated weight changes over 3 months; body mass index; mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC) calculated using triceps skin fold thickness (TSF) and mid-arm circumference (MAC) (MAMC = MAC - (3.14 x TSF)); and serum albumin concentration. Fifty-nine patients were followed after vascular surgery. The incidence of postoperative infections was related to preoperative nutritional status. RESULTS: Nineteen patients (27 per cent) had normal values for all nutritional indicators examined. The remaining 52 patients (73 per cent) had one (37), two (12), three (two) or four (one) nutritional indicators within the range for malnutrition. Among the 59 patients who underwent surgery there were five chest infections, seven wound infections, one urinary tract infection and one infected central line in 13 patients following six femorodistal bypasses, four abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs and three miscellaneous arterial procedures. The incidence of septic complications was zero in 14 patients with normal nutritional indicators and 41 per cent (13 of 32) in patients with indicators of malnutrition (P < 0.05, Fisher's exact test). CONCLUSION: Malnutrition is prevalent among vascular patients and may contribute to postoperative morbidity. Malnourished patients should be identified and referred to the dietician at the earliest opportunity to minimize the morbid effects of undernutrition.

Use of autotransfusion effectively reduced the need for HBT and was associated with a reduced incidence of postoperative SIRS and infective complications.

The inflammatory response associated with exercise in claudicants is not simply a physiological response to exhaustive exercise.

Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) have a significant impact on approximately 3% of the adult population worldwide, with a mean NHS wound care cost of £7600 per VLU over 12 months. The standard care for VLUs is compression therapy, with a significant number of ulcers failing to heal with this treatment, espe-