Table 1.
Baseline demographic, health and ulcer characteristics
| Characteristic | Total* n = 70 | Venous n = 32 (46%) | Mixed n = 24 (34%) | Arterial n = 6 (9%) | Diabetic n = 6 (9%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Demographic |
|
|
|
|
|
| Age, mean ± SD† |
67 ± 13.9 |
64 ± 14.3 |
71 ± 12.2 |
75 ± 16.4 |
67 ± 11.82 |
| Gender: |
|
|
|
|
|
| female |
32 (46%) |
18 (55%) |
8 (35%) |
3 (50%) |
3 (50%) |
| male |
38 (54%) |
15 (46%) |
15 (65%) |
3 (50%) |
3 (50%) |
| Lived alone |
14 (20%) |
6 (18%) |
5 (22%) |
1 (17%) |
2 (33%) |
| Primary carer |
8 (11%) |
5 (15%) |
3 (13%) |
0 (0%) |
0 (0%) |
| Income: |
|
|
|
|
|
| age or disability pension |
44 (64%) |
16 (49%) |
18 (82%) |
6 (100%) |
0 (0%) |
| unemployment benefit |
6 (8%) |
3 (9%) |
0 (0%) |
0 (0%) |
0 (0%) |
| employed/self-funded retiree |
19 (28%) |
12 (36%) |
4 (18%) |
0 (0%) |
1 (17%) |
| current smoker |
10 (16%) |
5 (17%) |
4 (19%) |
1 (17%) |
0 (0%) |
|
Co morbidities/Health |
|
|
|
|
|
| Cardiac disease |
24 (34%) |
5 (15%) |
13 (57%) |
3 (50%) |
2 (33%) |
| Hypertension |
45 (64%) |
16 (49%) |
18 (78%) |
3 (50%) |
6 (100%) |
| Osteoarthritis |
30 (43%) |
11 (33%) |
13 (57%) |
2 (33%) |
2 (33%) |
| Rheumatoid disease |
8 (11%) |
3 (9%) |
4 (17%) |
0 (0%) |
1 (17%) |
| Other autoimmune disease |
7 (10%) |
5 (15%) |
1 (4%) |
1 (17%) |
0 (0%) |
| Diabetes |
17 (24%) |
2 (6%) |
8 (35%) |
0 (0%) |
6 (100%) |
| Peripheral arterial disease |
16 (23%) |
5 (16%) |
5 (22%) |
4 (67%) |
2 (33%) |
| Past Deep Vein Thrombosis |
13 (19%) |
9 (27%) |
3 (13%) |
0 (0%) |
1 (17%) |
| Varicose veins |
39 (56%) |
21 (64%) |
15 (65%) |
2 (33%) |
1 (17%) |
| Previous lower limb surgery or trauma |
54 (77%) |
22 (67%) |
21 (91%) |
4 (67%) |
5 (83%) |
| History of previous leg ulcers |
47 (67%) |
24 (73%) |
14 (61%) |
3 (50%) |
5 (83%) |
| Required an aid to mobilise |
15 (21%) |
8 (24%) |
6 (26%) |
0 (0%) |
1 (17%) |
|
Ulcer clinical characteristics on admission |
|
|
|
|
|
| Ulcer area (median, range) |
2.5 cm2 (0.1–45.3) |
2.9 cm2 (0.8–45.3) |
2.5 cm2 (0.8 –39.4) |
2.35 cm2 (0.2–3.8) |
1.9 cm2 (0.1–9.8) |
| Ulcer duration (median, range) |
22 weeks (2–728) |
24 weeks (2–188) |
15 weeks (6–728) |
13 weeks (10–130) |
21 weeks (3–56) |
| PUSH score (mean ± SD†) |
9.8 ± 2.9 |
10.6 ± 2.6 |
9.9 ± 2.6 |
8.2 ± 2.9 |
9 ± 3.5 |
| Lower leg oedema present |
55 (79%) |
28 (85%) |
19 (83%) |
4 (67%) |
3 (50%) |
| Venous eczema |
12 (17%) |
5 (15%) |
5 (22%) |
0 (0%) |
2 (33%) |
| Clinical signs of wound infection | 8 (11%) | 4 (12%) | 2 (9%) | 1 (17%) | 1 (17%) |
*There were two other ulcers which did not fit into the ulcer type categories: one a non-healing wound post-surgery, the other a pressure ulcer on the foot.
†SD = Standard Deviation.