Cardiology team podiatrist with the leg to save diabetics
Bernice Smith of Maywood had lost his right leg to diabetes, and now his left leg was in danger of amputation. However, there was a chance the leg could be saved if adequate blood flow could be restored. Smiths podiatrist, Dr. Ronald Sage of Loyola University Hospital, where his Loyola interventional cardiologist Dr. Robert Dieter, who lives in Glen Ellyn. The use of a catheter, Dieter balloon angioplasty performed in a large artery in the left thigh Smiths difficult, similar to the technique used by cardiologists to open blocked arteries and heart.Dieter place a stent to prop open the artery. The procedure to restore blood flow to the leg of Smith, who began to turn gangrenous, and that was not enough blood.Although Sage had to amputate the fingers Smiths, the rest of his
leg was saved. I can not stop to thank them both to save my leg, he said. Dieter said he receives many referrals a month from podiatrists for similar traffic problems. Its been a great team effort, he said. Diabetics in the United States suffer more than 80,000 amputations each year. About half of the cases are partial foot amputations and a half are of the leg, above or below the knee. And the number of amputations is increasing with the aging population and increased incidence of diabetes, said Wise.Sage is a professor of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation, podiatry at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.Diabetes is a major risk factor for peripheral arterial occlusive disease. PAD is similar to coronary artery disease, fatty deposits clog the
arteries outside the heart or the brain, reducing blood flow to the arms, legs, stomach or kidneys. Early symptoms are pain in the legs when walking. In severe cases, PAD can cause gangrene and amputation. The same factors that increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes - diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure and cholesterol - and the risk of peripheral arterial occlusive disease.Lifestyle changes and medications can usually Pages: [1] 2