Acute lower limb ischemia: a case study.

Acute ischemia of the lower extremity is a limb and life-threatening situation that demands prompt recognition and immediate treatment. The leading cause of acute limb ischemia is typically an arterial embolus of cardiac origin. Other significant causes are thrombosis of an atherosclerotic vessel and arterial injury/trauma. This case study examines complexities of diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemia while focusing on nursing care of a patient with an acute embolic occlusion.