Peripheral Arterial Disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a collator for all diseases caused by the obstruction of large peripheral arteries, which can result from atherosclerosis, inflammatory processes leading to stenosis, an embolism or thrombus formation. It causes either acute or chronic ischemia.

Dependent on the severity of the disease, the following steps can be taken: 1) Conservative measures include Smoking cessation. Regular exercise for those with claudication helps open up alternative small vessels and the limitation in walking often improves. Medication with aspirin, clopidogrel and statins, which reduce clot formation and cholesterol levels, respectively can help with disease progression and address the other cardiovascular risks that the patient is likely to have. 2) Angioplasty can be done on solitary lesions in large arteries, such as the femoral artery. 3) Occasionally, bypass grafting is needed to circumvent a seriously stenosed area of the arterial vasculature. Generally, the saphenous vein is used, although artificial  material is often used for large tracts when the veins are of lesser quality. 4) Rarely, sympathectomy is used - removing the nerves that make arteries contract, effectively leading to vasodilatation. 5) When gangrene of toes has set in, amputation is often a last resort to stop infected dying tissues from causing septicemia.

...More at Wikipedia 

Related Links:

• American Heart Association
• US National Library of Medicine
• Mayo Clinic

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