Oedema
February 15th, 2021
Overview
Look for swelling of the lower limbs; apply pressure to the anterior aspect of the tibia for fifteen seconds and then release to assess for pitting oedema.
Causes of Oedema
Pitting
- Fluid overload - excessive IV fluids, renal failure, heart failure
- Right ventricular failure
- Venous pathology - thrombosis / insufficiency
- Dependency (the effect of gravity)
- Hypoalbuminaemia - malnutrition, malabsorption, nephrotic syndrome, liver (synthetic) failure
Non-Pitting
- Impaired lymphatic drainage
- Pretibial myxoedema (hypothyroidism)
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