NEW ADVANCES IN VASCULAR FOOT DISEASE

Patients worried about losing a foot because their arteries are clogged now have a new option to save their legs … and their lives.

As many as 12 million people in the United States older than 50 have peripheral artery disease, or PAD. The condition results from a build-up of plaque in the artery walls. Many patients are at risk of losing their feet and legs. Now, there’s a new procedure to fix the problem.

"These blockages can cause pain when you walk or sometimes can lead to lack of circulation that's bad enough you can need amputations," Instead of bypassing the blocked artery with a vein from her other leg, we now use an artificial artery.

"It's like a blocked pipe. The plumber doesn’t have to go in and replace the pipes. Just have to get a new pipe around the blockage

Doctors sew the artificial artery right onto an open artery in the leg. It’s essentially a bypass procedure. Blood re-routes and travels through the new artery to get to the patient’s lower leg.
Another benefit -- the artificial artery contains a blood thinner medicine that prevents clots from forming.

This surgery is easier than standard methods because it requires smaller incisions. Some patients can walk within a week.

Doctors say this surgery is an ideal option for people who don’t have an available vein to reroute blood, either because it’s been used for something like heart surgery or because they have varicose veins.