Individuals suffering from peripheral vascular or arterial disease no longer have to leave the Danville area to have non-emergent, minimally-invasive treatment to improve blood flow in diseased arteries.

Elective percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stent placement to open arteries in the lower extremities can now be done in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Provena United Samaritans Medical Center, by Bhaskar Patel, MD, Danville Polyclinic cardiologist.

"It's very important that people are aware of peripheral artery disease and the risks that are associated with it," states Dr. Bhaskar Patel.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the most common type of peripheral vascular disease (PVD).  Symptoms include cramping, pain or tiredness in leg and hip muscles during activity, foot wounds that won't heal or heal slowly, gangrene, and persistent cool skin in the thigh, calf or foot.  Often, people dismiss leg pain as a normal sign of aging, but there are 10 million people in the United States suffering with peripheral artery disease and only 1.25 million cases are identified and treated successfully.

PAD diagnosis begins with a physical exam, checking for weak pulses in the legs.  The ankle-brachial index test (ABI) is also usually done, and this test compares the blood pressure in the feet to the pressure in the arms to determine how well the blood is flowing.  A doctor may also recommend other tests including Doppler and ultrasound imaging, CT scan, or angiography, in order to determine if an individual needs treatment.

If a blockage that requires intervention is identified, angioplasty or stent placement may be beneficial.  These are the latest and safest non-surgical treatments that are performed with a catheter inserted to reach the blocked artery.  A tiny balloon is used to open the artery and a stent-a tiny wire mesh cylinder-may also be implanted to hold the artery open. 

At Provena United Samaritans, the procedure is performed in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab and the patient may return home the same day or in some cases, stay in hospital overnight.

"I'm very pleased that we can perform these procedures right here at Provena United Samaritans," says Dr. Bhaskar Patel, "so patients may not have to leave Danville for treatment."

Of course the best option for action is to reduce your risk-factors prior to developing the disease, according to Dr. Bhaskar Patel.  Some of the risk factors include: smoking, high cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

To determine whether you are at risk and need further examination and screening, visit www.provena.org/usmc/healthaware to take our Vascular Aware risk-assessment on-line.  For more information on the new PAD treatment available at Provena United Samaritans Medical Center, contact the Cardiovascular Department at 217-477-2995.