Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) involves atherosclerosis mainly in the extremities, especially in the legs and feet that lead to ischemia. Untreated, PAD can progress to critical limb ischemia (CLI), also called chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), which will lead to foot or leg amputation. The mortality rate for these CLI amputees is 70% within three years. There is currently an epidemic of PAD and CLI in the U.S. The majority of patients are defined by health disparities concentrated in the Black, Latino, Native American populations in both rural and low-income urban areas. A large number of PAD patients have other comorbities, with diabetes being one a primary issue.

RSS icon
Map of Congressional districts and the rate of amputations based on medicare data showing Mississippi delta region with the highest number of amputation procedures per year. Dr. Fakorede located his practice there to try and combat extremely the high PAD and CLI rates.

PAD is a public health crisis say cardiovascular societies

September is peripheral artery disease (PAD) awareness month, and medical societies are using it to promote awareness for patients and referring physicians to act against the debilitating disease.
 

Video interview with Pedro Martinez Clark, MD, an interventional cardiologist, who explains how he overcame some key health disparities in Miami to make sure minority patients in low-income neighborhoods could receive screenings and care for peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Miami cardiologist works to reach more PAD patients in low-income neighborhoods

Pedro Martinez-Clark, MD, an interventional cardiologist and founder of Amavita Heart and Vascular Health, explains the health disparities he encounters that block the delivery of care in certain parts of Miami.

Banner ASC in Sun City, Arizona.

PAD patients fare better when they have a strong support system

PAD patients with a strong social support system were associated with better outcomes in a new analysis published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.

Pedro Martinez Clark, MD, is helping to addressing health disparities and high PAD and CLI rates in Latin and Haitian communities in Miami.

Addressing high PAD and CLI rates in Latin and Haitian communities of Miami

Pedro Martinez Clark, MD, FSCAI, interventional cardiologist, medical director of Amavita Heart and Vascular Health in Miami, set up community outreach efforts to screen patients in low-income neighborhoods.
 

doctor looking at CLTI patient's leg

FDA clears medical device company’s full line of vascular testing systems

The newly cleared devices are all designed to detect signs of PAD and/or PVD early enough that limb amputation is not required. 

Video interview with Sahil Parikh, MD, FSCAI, director of endovascular services, New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at Columbia University, who discusses the disparities in PE treatments in the REAL-PE study

REAL-PE highlights disparities in pulmonary embolism care

Sahil Parikh, MD, director of endovascular services, New York-Presbyterian, explains details from the big-data REAL-PE study comparing mechanical thrombectomy to ultrasound assisted catheter thrombolysis.

Video interview with Jim Melton, DO, vascular surgeon, explains the CLI mortality rate among amputees in rural Oklahoma, and the need for outreach programs to screen more patients.

Death rate from critical limb ischemia is high in rural Oklahoma

In rural Oklahoma, double amputees due to untreated peripheral artery disease face mortality rates around 35% after one year and 60% after two. Jim Melton, DO, hopes his mobile cardiology clinics can make a difference for these patients.

Jim Melton, DO, vascular surgeon and co-founder of the CardioVascular Health Clinic in Oklahoma City, explains the use of mobile outreach cardiology clinics to help rural and Native American populations.

Mobile cardiology clinic reaches rural, Native American populations in Oklahoma

Jim Melton, DO, a vascular surgeon in Oklahoma City, explains his efforts to reach patients in rural Oklahoma and Native American tribes with a mobile cardiovascular clinic program.

Displaying 25 - 32 of 80
Design by Adaptive Theme