Peripheral artery disease treatment

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a chronic condition that can be treated but not cured. PAD treatment aims to control symptoms and to prevent disease progression. Your treatment plan twill consider your age, overall health, medical history, disease severity and symptoms. As a general rule, effective treatments include lifestyle modification and risk factor management.

Lifestyle modifications revolve around smoking cessation, regular exercise and proper nutrition. Weight reduction can be achieved with a fruit- and vegetable-rich diet. Alcohol moderation also is important.

Risk factor management addresses existing conditions that aggravate PVD:

• Diabetes.
• Hypertension or high blood pressure.
• High cholesterol.

Medications prescribed to treat PAD improve blood flow; these include anticoagulants (which prevent blood clots), beta blockers (which slow heart rate and lower pressure), and cilostazol (which relaxes arteries and allows them to enlarge).

Further therapy may include invasive or minimally invasive procedures. Our team of vascular specialists are highly trained in using leading-edge technologies to provide care that goes beyond the expected.

• Angioplasty - during angioplasty, a catheter is guided to the artery where blood flow is blocked. If a balloon angioplasty is performed, a balloon in the catheter will be inflated at the point of blockage, stretching the clogged artery open and flattening plaque to restore blood flow. Balloon angioplasty may be followed by stent placement, in which a wire mesh tube is inserted to keep the blood vessel open.
• Bypass surgery – this surgery is performed to re-route blood flow so that it travels around a narrowed or blocked area of a blood vessel. In many cases, a blood vessel will be harvested, or grafted, from another part of the body.
• Percutaneous transmural arterial bypass (PTAB) therapy - is a minimally invasive procedure that offers fast recovery times. Using implant stent grafts your doctor will create a bypass that will help re-direct blood around the blockage to restore blood flow to the affected area.  

Our vascular specialists will develop a treatment plan specifically tailored to your individual needs.