How does venous stasis cause chronic wounds?
Venous status ulcers are related to impairment in the movement of blood through the veins within the legs. While oxygen-rich blood from the heart flows through the arteries serving the legs, once the blood has delivered its oxygen and is returning to the heart and lungs through the veins, it does so with much lower force (or blood pressure) than it had during its journey through the arteries. The veins compensate for this with a series of one-way valves that keep your blood moving up your veins each time the muscles of your legs contract. When these valves cease to function correctly, the blood begins to pool in the feet and legs, possibly causing swelling and a bluish coloration (reflecting the oxygen-depleted blood’s color). At this point, there is a risk of a blood clot forming, as well. Since blood supply is essential to effective tissue repair, the blood circulation insufficiency that results makes the patient with venous stasis vulnerable to the development of leg and foot ulcers
