Problem
Case Study
Mr. Dietrich, a 68-year-old male, comes to his primary care office because he experienced severe leg pain while visiting his daughter's family last weekend. Mr. Dietrich had wanted to help his daughter out so had offered to mow her yard with her push mower.
He states he mowed about one quarter of her yard before he felt pain in his left calf muscle. He thought he was experiencing a muscle cramp, so he stopped to stretch. The pain was relieved somewhat, but when he continued to mow the yard, the pain returned. When he removed his shoes to see, he noticed that his left foot did not look normal. It had a slight bluish color and was painful to touch.
Examining Mr. Dietrich's health history, his primary care provider (PCP) notices he has been diagnosed with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and type Il diabetes mellitus. She asks Mr. Dietrich to remove his shoes and socks. The PCP notes the peripheral pulses on Mr. Dietrich's lower left extremity are very weak and decides to determine Mr. Dietrich's ABl for both the right and left sides. For further testing, the PCP orders a magnetic resonance angiography test.
Task
A. What is the term for the cramping leg pain Mr. Dietrich experienced?
B. Why did Mr. Dietrich's pain lessen when he stopped mowing the yard?
C. Why was Mr. Dietrich's left foot cyanotic and painful to touch?
D. What risk factors does Mr. Dietrich have for arterial disease?
E. What do you expect the results were for Mr. Dietrich's ABI assessment?
F. Why was magnetic resonance angiography ordered?