Lower Limb Ulcers

Quick facts about lower limb ulceration:

Eighty per cent have evidence of venous disease
Ten to twenty-five per cent have evidence of arterial insufficiency to a variable degree
Twelve per cent have co-existing diabetes
Chronic venous insufficiency affects 2–10% of the general population
Fifty per cent of ulcers have been present for >1 year
Seventy-five per cent of ulcers are recurrent

Dr Weir has been an active member of the Wound Healing Association of Southern Africa (WHASA) since its inaugural meeting in 2005. He has served as President of the Association in 2010 and 2011. He has also completed the International Interdisciplinary Wound Care Course at the University of Stellenbosch in 2010.

Advanced peripheral vascular disease, chronic venous insufficiency and diabetes can sometimes present with very complex wounds, which requires an interdisciplinary team approach. Dr Weir has the advantage of formal training in General Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Wound Care, which enables him to accurately assess, diagnose and treat the underlying disease responsible for the complex wound. Because he understands the complexity of these challenging wounds, he is a member of a larger interdisciplinary team that is able to address not only clinical issues, but also patient centred concerns.

The team will at all times manage a patient with a wound according to the Wound Bed Preparation paradigm.