Peripheral Angioplasty to Treat Peripheral Artery Disease

One of the macrovascular complications caused by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is peripheral artery disease, or PAD. The disease is quite dangerous because it can narrow the blood vessels, which blocks blood flow to the organs in the patient's body.

Patients diagnosed with peripheral artery disease usually receive several kinds of treatment from their doctors, ranging from lifestyle therapy and medication to interventions and surgery.

A Quick Look at Peripheral Artery Disease and Its Symptoms

Peripheral artery disease, also called peripheral arterial disease (PAD), is a cardiovascular disease in which the blood vessels narrow enough to obstruct blood flow to the body's organs. It has three main risk factors: smoking, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia.

The symptoms vary. They include pain when walking, wounds that heal slowly and often come back, muscles that tire quickly or cramp, gangrene, and leg pain at rest. In some cases the disease is asymptomatic, meaning it is present but shows no clinical symptoms in the patient.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle, keeping up controlled exercise and taking medication can reduce the symptoms. The doctor may also perform a peripheral intervention called angioplasty to treat the PAD.

Read also: The Difference Between Heart Failure and Coronary Heart Disease

Understanding Peripheral Angioplasty

One peripheral intervention that thoracic and cardiovascular surgeons often perform is angioplasty. Put simply, a catheter, which is a thin, soft tube, is inserted so the doctor can place a stent in the blocked part of the blood vessel.

The peripheral angioplasty procedure goes as follows:

1. The groin or wrist area is anesthetized to reduce pain. Because the anesthetic is only local, the patient may still feel some effects of the procedure.
2. The doctor inserts a catheter and then injects a special contrast agent. The purpose is to find out whether any blood vessels are narrowed.
3. Next, the doctor passes a balloon and a stent through the catheter that was placed through the groin or wrist.
4. The balloon is inflated to open up a space, and the stent's job is to hold that space open so the blood vessel does not narrow again.

Peripheral angioplasty can be a non-surgical treatment alternative for patients. Besides being judged more effective, it is also regarded as more efficient.

If you want a medical check-up for your heart and blood vessels, you can get examined at Heartology Cardiovascular Center.

That is an overview of peripheral artery disease and peripheral angioplasty. We hope it is useful and makes us more aware of how important it is to look after our health.

Read also: The Role of a Cardiologist