Peripheral Vascular (PVS) Examination OSCE Station Guide

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Peripheral Vascular (PVS) Examination

The peripheral vascular examination is performed to elicit signs of peripheral
vascular pathology i.e. examining the blood vessels in the extremities.
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a common reason for referral to the vascular
clinics, conditions include intermittent claudication and in emergency situations
ischaemia of the limbs.
Like most examination stations this follows the usual procedure of inspect,
palpate, auscultate (look, feel, listen).
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01. Begin by washing your hands. OSCE Skills Newsletter

Introduce yourself to the patient and clarify their identity. Explain what you
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For this station the patient should by lying on the bed and ideally exposed from Name
the waist down, however for the purposes of the exam the patient will likely be
wearing shorts. Email *
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Wash your hands
02. Perform a general observation of the patient, noting whether they are
comfortable at rest as well as their general well-being. Comment on the
general appearance of the legs, including any obvious abnormalities such as
muscle wasting or scars. ADVERTISE HERE
Furthermore, note any appliances or medications which may be positioned

around the bed.
03. Now focus the observation towards the patients legs, feet and toes. Signs to
note include:
Any signs of gangrene or pre-gangrene such as missing toes or

blackening of the extremities.
The presence of any ulcers ensure you check all around the feet,
including behind the ankle and between the toes. These may be venous or
arterial one defining factor is that venous ulcers tend to be painless
whereas arterial are painful.
Any skin changes such as pallor, change in colour (eg purple/black from
haemostasis or brown from haemosiderin deposition), varicose eczema
or sites of previous ulcers.
Presence of any varicose veins often seen best with the patient standing.
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Observation of the legs
04. After completing the inspection, move onto palpating the legs. This should
include an assessment of the temperature of each leg. Starting distally, feel
with the back of your hand and compare the legs to each other noting any
difference.
Assessment of the temperature

of each leg
05. Check capillary return by compressing the nail bed and then releasing it.
Normal colour should return within 2 seconds.
If this result is abnormal, you may suggest to the examiner that you would like
to perform Buergers Test . This involves raising the patients feet to 45
degrees. In the presence of poor arterial supply, pallor rapidly develops.
Following this, place the feet over the side of the bed, cyanosis may then
develop.
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Capillary return - compress the Capillary return - release the Buergers Test 1
nail bed nail bed
Buergers Test 2
06. Any varicosities which you noted in the observation should now be palpated. If
these are hard to the touch, or painful when touched, it may suggest
thrombophlebitis .
07. Finally for palpation, you should feel for the abdominal aorta and each of the
peripheral pulses. These are:
Aorta this should be palpated just to the left of the midline in the
epigastrium, note whether the pulsation in expansile as in an aneurysm.
Femoral feel at the mid inguinal point, below the inguinal ligament.
Popliteal ask the patient to flex their knee to roughly 45 degrees keeping
their foot on the bed, place both hands on the front of the knee and place
your fingers in the popliteal space.
Posterior tibial felt posterior to the medial malleolus of the tibia.
Dorsalis pedis feel on the dorsum of the foot, lateral to the extensor tendon
of the great toe.
You should feel these on both sides and comment on their strength,
comparing one side relative to the other.
Feel for the Abdominal Aorta Feel for the Popliteal pulse Feel for the Posterior Tibial
pulse pulse
Feel for the Dorsalis Pedis pulse
08. Check for radio-femoral delay by palpating both the radial and femoral pulses
on one side of the body at the same time. The pulsation should occur at the
same time, any delay may suggest coarctation of the aorta .
09. There is little to auscultate in a peripheral vascular examination. However, you

should listen for femoral and abdominal aortic bruits.
Listen for femoral and

abdominal aortic bruits
10. On completion, thank the patient for their time and ensure they are
comfortable and well-covered. Remember to wash your hands and report
your findings to the examiner.
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Follow @osceskills

e-Learning Book Library About Us Search...

You are here: Home e-Learning Modules Cardiovascular Medicine Peripheral

Peripheral Vascular (PVS) Examination

Subject steps ADVERTISE HERE

01. Begin by washing your hands. OSCE Skills Newsletter

Wash your hands

Furthermore, note any appliances or medications which may be positioned

Any signs of gangrene or pre-gangrene such as missing toes or

Assessment of the temperature

Feel for the Dorsalis Pedis pulse

09. There is little to auscultate in a peripheral vascular examination. However, you

Listen for femoral and

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