Peripheral artery disease (PAD) often causes few symptoms until it reaches a serious stage. If you think you might have PAD, call the Vascular & Interventional Specialists team in Miami, Florida. The expert physicians have extensive experience diagnosing and treating PAD and preventing complications that could cost you a limb. To arrange a checkup for PAD, call Vascular & Interventional Specialists today or book an appointment online.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects the large blood vessels (arteries) carrying oxygen to your body. It usually develops in the legs.
Arteries branch out from your heart. They circulate blood filled with oxygen from your lungs to all your tissues. Veins carry the spent blood back to your heart to collect more oxygen.
Sometimes, the arteries fill with cholesterol deposits (a type of fat) mixed with debris like calcium from your blood. The substance this creates (plaque) sticks to your artery walls. As it builds up, it reduces the space for blood to flow. The arteries can start to harden as well.
This condition is called atherosclerosis, which also causes coronary artery disease (CAD) and carotid artery disease.
Risk factors for atherosclerosis and PAD include:
PAD is more likely to affect you if there’s a history of atherosclerosis in your family.
PAD might not cause any obvious symptoms at the beginning. However, as the arteries narrow, you might experience problems that affect your legs, such as:
One symptom typical of PAD is claudication. This is an aching pain in your legs when you’re walking that goes away when you sit down.
Sometimes PAD causes serious complications. These include blood clots that block circulation, leading to critical limb ischemia. Your leg pain might then be so bad that it keeps you awake. Unless the blood supply to your leg resumes, you could develop gangrene, which could result in amputation.
If you have PAD, your Vascular & Interventional Specialists provider might recommend lifestyle changes, such as stopping smoking, a low cholesterol diet, regular exercise, and weight loss. These changes should improve the health of your arteries and reduce plaque production.
You also might need medications to widen your blood vessels, which helps blood flow, and anticoagulants to stop blood clots from forming.
If your PAD is severe, the Vascular & Interventional Specialists team might perform a minimally invasive cardiac catheterization procedure. This treatment avoids the need for surgery by accessing the arteries using a slim, flexible tube called a catheter.
Your provider makes a small incision in the artery, then feeds the catheter along until it reaches the diseased area. They can scrape off the plaque (atherectomy) or flatten it to make more room (balloon angioplasty).
If you have PAD symptoms, get a prompt diagnosis and expert treatment at Vascular & Interventional Specialists. Call or book online today.