Venous Leg Ulcer: Fundamentals Online course

Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) usually develop on the inside of the leg, just above the ankle, they are often painful and take more than 2 weeks to heal. VLUs are due to chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). This occurs when the valves of the veins (deep or/and superficial or/and perforator veins) do not function correctly and allow the blood to flow back down (reflux) into the section of vein below.

VLUs affects approximately 1% of the population and 3% of people over 80 years of age in westernized countries  . VLU is the most common type of leg ulceration, comprising 50–60% of them    .

In the UK, venous leg ulcers have been estimated to cost the National Health Service £400m ($720m; €600m) per year     . Most of this healthcare cost is due to community nursing services, as district nurses in the UK spend up to half their time caring for patients with leg ulcers    .

Venous leg ulceration is often a chronic condition and patients experience a prolonged cycle of skin healing and then breakdown, sometimes over decades, with episodes of infection, all of which can impair quality of life  .