Sarah Bush Lincoln is one of the first in the area to offer a new innovative treatment for peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
This treatment – the Lutonix ® 035 Drug Coated Balloon PTA – is the first and only treatment of its kind approved for angioplasty for people with severely blocked femoropoplitereal arteries, two of the legs major arteries, due to PAD. It is being used by the SBL Heart Center’s, Amit Dande, MD, an interventional cardiologist with Prairie Heart Institute of Illinois.
Millions of Americans suffer from PAD, which causes plaque to build up in the arteries that carry blood to the limbs, head and organs creating blockages. If untreated the disease can lead to severe blockage in the arteries of the legs or feet causing lifestyle limiting leg pains that could potentially require amputation, particularly in people over the age of 50.
Procedures such as minimally-invasive angioplasty balloons and stents, medications and vascular bypass surgery are some of the accepted ways to treat PAD, but these options may be limited depending on the type of arterial blockage. The Lutonix ® 035 DCB is a safe and effective addition to the treatment of PAD in the femoropopliteal artery.
This new treatment, recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, uniquely combines an angioplasty balloon coated with a low dose of Paclitaxel to improve blood flow in blocked vessels above the knee. Paclitaxel, which is also used in cancer chemotherapy, destroys the cells that are responsible for creating scarring.
“We are committed to bringing innovations in care to our patients and we are excited to be the first hospital in our service area to offer this new treatment option to our patients,” Dr. Dande said. “This treatment is a new first-line therapy for treating blockages without closing the door to other treatment options down the road, an important consideration as we help our patients manage this painful, progressive and debilitating disease.”
“Our goal is to help people with PAD remain active and engaged with their lives and families,” he added.
For more information or to seek treatment for PAD, please contact the Peripheral Vascular Center of SBL at 238-4644.
Taking action to control your risk factors can help prevent or delay peripheral arterial disease. Here are six tips to help you reduce your risk.
• Stop smoking. No ifs, ands or butts. This is the #1 risk factor for PAD and makes you up to 25 times more likely to develop the disease.
• Take good care of your diabetes. Type 2 diabetes makes you up to 4 times more likely to develop PAD.
• Take care of your high blood pressure. Get a check-up at the doctor’s office. If you have high blood pressure, please follow your physician’s recommendations. High blood pressure can eventually damage your artery walls and can lead to PAD.
• Take care of high cholesterol. Cholesterol is a substance in the blood that sticks to the walls of the artery, causing a buildup of plaque that can narrow and harden the artery. The risk of PAD increases 5 – 10% with every 10 mg/dL increase in total cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is caused by a combination of genetics and unhealthy lifestyle but can be managed by following your physician’s recommendations.
• Age and ethnicity matters. If you are 50 or older, you should get your doctor’s advice about good diet, exercise and daily routine. Embracing a healthy lifestyle can make you feel much younger and reduce your risk of PAD. African-Americans are at highest risk for PAD.
• Know your own history. Just like coronary artery disease, heart disease, heart attack or stroke, if someone in your family has had PAD, there’s a greater risk of it happening to you.