Download Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) - Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

April 19, 2010
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
Advanced Treatment Option Available with High-Tech
Diamondback 360° Procedure
S. A. Helton
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital
Peripheral artery disease (PAD), sometimes referred to as peripheral vascular
disease, affects between 8 and 12 percent of adults over age 50. It is a common
circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs.
“PAD most commonly occurs in the legs and causes
symptoms when they don’t receive enough blood
flow to keep up with demand. The earliest symptoms
include leg pain when walking,” comments Robert
Lee, MD, of Port Huron Vascular Clinic, PC, a
specialist in the treatment of PAD and other vascular
diseases.
“PAD in the legs is also likely to be a sign of widespread accumulation of fatty deposits (plaques) in
the arteries elsewhere. This is also known as atherosclerosis. This condition may not be only reducing
the blood flow to the legs, but to the patient’s heart
and brain as well.
Signs And Symptoms
A High-Tech Diamondback Procedure
Allows St. Joseph Mercy Patients
Quicker and More Successful Recovery from Peripheral Artery Disease
(PAD)...Although there are a number of
operations and procedures designed to
treat PAD, St. Joseph Mercy now offers
patients access to the most advanced
and minimally invasive treatment option
available.
Although often there are no obvious signs of PAD,
the following symptoms are sometimes related:
• Painful cramping of the hip, thigh or calf muscle after walking or climbing stairs
(intermittent claudication)
• Leg numbness or weakness
• Coldness in the lower leg or foot, especially when compared with the other leg
• Sores on toes, feet or legs that won’t heal
• A change in leg color
• Hair loss of the leg or feet
• Changes in toenails
“As PAD progresses, limb pain may even occur when the patient is at rest or when lying down
(ischemic rest pain),” continues Dr. Lee. “It may be intense enough to disrupt sleep.”
Risk Factors
There are a number of factors that increase the risk for PAD. These include:
• Smoking
• Diabetes
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Understanding Treatments for PAD
- continued
• Obesity (body mass index of over 30)
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Increasing age, especially after reaching age 50
• A family history of PAD, heart disease or stroke
• Excess levels of homocysteine, a protein component that helps build and maintain
tissue
• Excess levels of C-reactive protein, a general marker of inflammation.
“People who smoke or have diabetes have the greatest risk of complications from PAD,”
explains Dr. Lee, “such as tissue death (gangrene) in the leg due to reduced blood flow.”
Like many sufferers of PAD, Pat Paterson, age 67, of Marysville, was diagnosed 15 to 20
years ago with type II diabetes. Pat first visited the Port Huron Vascular Clinic when she had
an infection in her toe.
“My right toe was so infected, it had to be removed,” explains Pat. “And, after the amputation didn’t heal properly, my doctors performed a dye test to identify the arteries that
needed treatment.”
Treatment Options
Port Huron
Vascular Clinic, PC,
Board Certified Specialists
Sadiq Hussain, MD,
FACS
“Although there are a number of medications available to treat the causes and some of the
early symptoms of PAD, when the blockage is severe and the plaque becomes ‘calcified,’
limited options have been available to successfully treat the problem,” explains Sadiq
Hussain, MD, a Port Huron Vascular Clinic, PC, surgeon and one of Pat’s specialists.
“Patients at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital have been treated through procedures including:
• Balloon Angioplasty: where a balloon is inserted directly in the artery and inflated to
push the plaque against the arterial walls, causing the artery to open.
• Stents: where a tiny metal cylinder is inserted and placed to hold the artery open after
the angioplasty procedure.
• Vascular Bypass Surgery: can be necessary if the blood flow through the limb is completely
or almost completely blocked.
“In vascular bypass surgery, a blood vessel from another part of the body or a tube made
of synthetic materials is used to bypass blockage in the artery,” explains Dr. Hussain.
“This allows blood flow around the blockage and into the lower limb. This is an invasive
procedure; and like most major surgeries includes a long patient stay in the hospital,
extended convalescence, and the potential for complications and infection.”
High Tech treatment
Robert Lee, MD,
FACS
“In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new minimally-invasive
procedure for PAD patients who suffer from extensive blockage from calcified plaque,”
continues Dr. Lee. “Utilizing a new device, call the Diamondback 360°, only available
locally at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, we can now treat certain blockages with a minimally
invasive technique.
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Page 2
remarkable medicine. remarkable care.
If you have questions about programs and services of St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron, please
visit us online at: mymercy.us. To find a physician near you, call toll-free 1-888-MERCYME.
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Treatment Options
- continued
“In the hospital’s Cardiovascular Lab, the new device is used to debulk (or remove) the
plaque in the arteries with a tool that revolves rapidly and strips or sands the plaque
deposits down,” he explains. “In traditional procedures, the treatment was to push the
plaque away with a balloon or bypass it completely, now we can simply remove
it, opening the artery to allow for unrestrained blood flow.”
“What’s more,” Dr. Hussain continues, “the device is so advanced that it
breaks the plaque into such fine particles, smaller than red blood cells. These
particles are swept through the artery and out of the body through the natural
blood stream and body filters. Additionally, patients generally go home within
24 hours and only need to recover from a tiny puncture site where the catheter
is inserted into the groin area. This greatly reduces our PAD patient recovery
time, getting them back on their feet usually by the next morning.”
The stripping or sanding ability of the Diamondback 360° device breaks the calcified plaque particles into waste smaller than the size of a red blood
cell. The particles are then swept away through
the blood stream, leaving a vein or artery relatively
free for enhanced blood flow to the limbs.
Due to her medical complications, Pat’s stay at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in
November 2009 was a little longer after her successful procedure.
“The procedure went very well and I knew it was successful because my foot
and leg started getting warmer and its color was better,” she explains.
During Pat’s procedure, Dr. Lee inserted a small tube in Pat’s groin and used
the Diamondback tool on two leg arteries that were affected.
“I was really impressed with the technology available,” comments Pat. “I know the alternative
was extensive bypass surgery with a large incision and a long recovery. “I had no idea that there
were such high-tech procedures available locally. It really is good news that St. Joseph Mercy
and our community is keeping up with the latest advances in medical care.”
PAD is a condition that requires screening and diagnosis through a primary care physician.
So, speak to your doctor today for more information on the condition and a referral to a
qualified vascular surgeon.
For more information regarding the Diamondback procedures and other advanced
procedures available at St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron, contact Port Huron Vascular
Clinic, PC, at 810-985-1300, or visit St. Joseph Mercy online at mymercy.us.
The information provided in Healthy
Living is for educational purposes only.
Speak with your doctor directly about
any issues that effect your health.
Editor: Stephanie Armstrong-Helton
810-984-1166
[email protected]
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