Practice development How to...Innovations Page Points


1. Cling film needs to cover the wound bed as this prevents the ulcer cuff rubbing against the wound bed directly


2. The blood pressure cuff should be applied to the patient's arm above the elbow


3. The brachial artery is located with the fingers and then ultrasound gel applied


Practice development How to...Ten top tips for Doppler ABPI


Figure 3. Cling film is applied to the wound.


4


Equipment needed:Clinicians must have access to the following:


n A Doppler ultrasound with an 8Mhz probe


n A sphygmomanometer (blood pressure meter) and the appropriate size blood pressure cuff for the shape and size of the patient’s arms and ankles


n Cling film to cover the ulcer bed (this prevents the blood pressure cuff from rubbing against the ulcer bed directly, and prevents discomfort and contamination of the cuff)


n Ultrasound gel should be used as a contact medium between the patient and the Doppler probe.


5


The procedure: The blood pressure cuff should be applied to the arm above


the patient's elbow [Fig 2]. The brachial artery is located (with the fingers), and then ultrasound gel applied. The Doppler probe is held between 45–70 degrees on the skin and moved around until the clearest signal is heard.


Figure 4. The pedal pulses are located and marked.


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Wounds International Vol 2 | Issue 4 | ©Wounds International 2011


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