THE 6 P'S
numeric mnemonic/ðə sɪks piːz/
Vascular Surgery
Definition
1.The features of acute limb ischaemia.
Expansion
- PPain — sudden and severe
- PPallor — pale, then mottled limb
- PPulselessness — absent distal pulses
- PParaesthesia — an early warning of nerve ischaemia
- PParalysis — a late, ominous sign
- PPerishingly cold — poikilothermia
Notes
Acute limb ischaemia is a surgical emergency — viable tissue has roughly 6 hours before irreversible damage. Paraesthesia and paralysis are the worrying pair: they signal that the nerves and muscle are dying and that revascularisation is urgent.
The same six P's describe compartment syndrome, where pain on passive stretch is the standout early feature.
Origin
Six alliterative warnings that a limb is losing its blood supply.