When circulatory blockages threaten the viability of a person's limbs or extremities, several medical factors may make that patient an unsuitable candidate for traditional bypass vascular surgery - including advanced age, diabetes and lung disease.

 

Traditionally, if bypass surgery cannot be performed, the only medical option for such patients has been limb amputation. But in UW Health's Heart and Vascular Care program, the collaboration of vascular surgeons and interventional cardiologists offers a promising alternative for limb salvage.

 

 

The procedure involves the use of angioplasty equipment in areas of the body where ballooning and stents aren't generally used, because the blood vessels that supply the legs are so small. With the increasing sophistication of angioplasty technology, the balloons are more easily manageable, and surgeons can delve further into the extremities with these devices.

 

A vascular surgeon provides the anatomical and surgical expertise while an interventional cardiologist handles the technical work, performing the balloon angioplasty and clearing out the artery blockage with a wire catheter.

 

 

Like other cardiovascular surgical procedures, the limb salvage procedure is not a guaranteed permanent fix for all vascular problems. National patient studies show that between 20 to 50 percent of arteries re-opened with stents or ballooning will re-clog within the first year. But the point of limb salvage isn't necessarily to keep the artery open for life. By working to save the limb, physicians are hoping to keep the artery open long enough for the ulcers caused by circulatory blockage to heal.

 

For some patients, the minimally-invasive limb salvage technique has meant the difference between losing a toe and losing a foot - or an entire leg.