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PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL DISEASE
Peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) – is atherosclerosis causing painful leg symptoms due to blockage of the arteries of the leg. 8-12 million people are living with PAD, but have no symptoms, therefore the disease is dangerously under diagnosed.
- Claudication - The word "claudication" comes from the Latin "claudicare" meaning to limp.
- Intermittent claudication is pain in the legs causing them to feel tired, aching, crampy, and sometimes with the sensation of a burning pain in the legs that comes and goes. The pain most often occurs with walking and goes away with rest -- due to poor circulation of blood in the arteries of the legs.
- Ulcers and sores can develop in advanced cases of PAD when the obstruction in the arteries of the leg cause pain to the degree that even rest offers no relief even when lying down. Ulcers and gangrene can develop when the legs aren’t getting enough blood flow.
The Vascular Institute offers lower extremity limb salvage as an aggressive approach to treatment for severe ulcerations, even gangrene. Lower Extremity Arterial Reconstruction – is bypass surgery for the gangrenous extremity. Surgeons harvest a vein or prosthetic material and attach it to healthy blood vessels on either side of the ulceration. Surgeons thread tiny catheters through a large vein in the groin, much like angioplasty for the heart, to the site of the bypass for endovascular repair.
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