15/07/2021
“Leg Saving endovascular repair done in Kalyan Multispecility Hospital ,Padav– First of its kind of intervention done in Gwalior.”
Excessive smoking not only causes heart attacks but also causes peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or narrowing of arteries in the legs. G Singh, a Jabalpur resident, realised this when he had unbearable pain in both his legs which turned out to be connected to the severest form of PAD causing multiple blockages.
Singh (55) had 100 % block in the aorta at the level of navel where the aorta divides into two and supplies blood down to the two legs. Not only was the main artery supplying both legs was blocked completely, there were additional blockages in both the legs at thigh levels. This lead to pain in both the legs while walking and the patient had difficulty in doing normal household work.
Director and Senior consultant (Cardiology) Dr Prateek Singh Bhadauria MD DM said that it took 3 hrs and a total of 4 stents to open up the blocked aorta and reconstruct the supply to both the legs . “The patient would have lost his limbs if the blocked supply was not opened up . Open surgery for this patient was risky as he had suffered a heart attack in the past. Operating on both legs would have needed a long and high risk surgery , so we decided to treat him using stents inserted into the blocked arteries by way of angioplasty”
Dr Prateek Bhadauria said that cases of PAD have gone up due to increase in incidence of diabetes, smoking and high cholesterol. If the condition is diagnosed early the risk factor can be reduced with lifestyle changes. But due to lack of awareness about the disease, patients usually come late when the diseased has already progressed necessitating surgery or amputation
Most patients understand heart disease and heart attacks , but are not aware of PAD which causes pain in legs leading to ulcers,blue/ black discoloration of toes, legs, gangrene and finally amputations and causes handicap or loss of life. Once the leg is amputated , patients become handicapped and lose their jobs too.
Dr Prateek said that the only way to treat PAD is by lifestyle changes and control of diabetes, blood pressure and high cholestreol