Porter Health System Makes Strides in Treating Peripheral Artery Disease


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Valparaiso Campus
814 LaPorte Avenue
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: 219-263-4600

With September being P.A.D. (peripheral artery disease) Awareness Month, it is timely that the Cardiac & Vascular Institute at Porter Health System recently employed a new treatment option for patients with the disease. Called laser atherectomy, Cardiologist Sandeep Sehgal, MD, explained that using a cool laser he can now essentially vaporize the blockage inside of the artery to restore blood flow to the peripheral tissue.

A common circulatory problem, P.A.D., is caused by arteriosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries” that supply blood to the legs and feet. The problem occurs when plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries, causing them to become narrower and stiffer, thus reducing blood flow. The American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics published in 2004 reports P.A.D. affects at least 8 to 12 million Americans and the prevalence increases with age.

We have been doing minimally invasive orbital, rotational and directional atherectomy procedures at Porter for a number of years,” said Sehgal. “I consider laser as another tool we are adding to our treatment tool box.

Sehgal went on to explain that deciding which device to use is based on the nature of the blockage. According to Sehgal the best candidates for laser atherectomy present with a total obstruction of the peripheral artery, have lesions that have developed after a stent is implanted, if a stent has failed or if a bypass graft has become obstructed by a clot of blood.

When asked about the risk factors for developing P.A. D., Sehgal said it more common in older people who have abnormal cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, or kidney disease, and in those who smoke or have had a stroke.

As the population ages, so does the prevalence of P.A.D,” Sehgal commented. “That’s why it is so important that Porter is able to offer a number of treatment modalities to better manage the disease which, can be serious and lead to non-healing sores thereby increasing the risk of limb loss.” He cautioned that P.A. D. not only affects the lower extremities but also increases a person’s risk for heart attack, stroke, transient ischemic attack (“mini-stroke”), or kidney problems.