The _ulcer_ of the leg associated with varicose veins has already been
described.
_Haemorrhage_ may take place from a varicose vein as a result of a wound
or of ulceration of its wall. Increased intra-venous pressure produced
by severe muscular strain may determine rupture of a vein exposed in the
floor of an ulcer. If the limb is dependent, the incompetency of the
valves permits of rapid and copious bleeding, which may prove fatal,
particularly if the patient is intoxicated when the rupture takes place
and no means are taken to arrest the haemorrhage. The bleeding may be
arrested at once by elevating the limb, or by applying pressure directly
over the bleeding point.
|