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Getting Treatment for Blockages in Legs Critical for Valley Patients
- Updated: September 4, 2015
HARLINGEN – Medical treatment for blockages in the blood vessels in the legs can be life-saving for many patients.
That was the message of Dr. Farley Neasman, Interventional Cardiologist, who recently gave a presentation about patients who have pain or discomfort when walking. These patients should be checked for blockages in the legs, if their type of pain stops when they stop walking, Dr. Neasman said.
“If we find a blockage in the leg before there any blockages in the heart, we have a golden opportunity to address the patient’s risk factors and reduce the possibility of a heart attack or stroke,” Dr. Neasman added.
Dr. Farley Neasman, Interventional Cardiologist
In the Valley, diabetes — along with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity — are some of the main causes of a person developing blockages in their legs. Blood flow to the patient’s feet may be reduced or cut off by a blockage in one of the arteries in the legs. Without treatment, the person’s foot or leg may have to be amputated – with the tragic consequences of losing their ability to work in certain jobs or to move around as much as they did before.
Patients who are treated with the “Silverhawk Plaque Excision System” at Valley Baptist Medical Center typically stay in the hospital for only one night, following a minimally-invasive procedure that requires only local anesthesia, Dr. Neasman said.
In February, Valley Baptist became the first hospital in Texas to use a new type of “medication-coated balloon”, to open blocked arteries in a patient’s upper leg. Dr. Neasman inserted the first “Medtronic IN.PACT Admiral Drug-Coated Balloon” into a 68-year-old Raymondville woman.
“Studies have shown this new, second-generation of drug-eluting balloons are able to keep the arteries in the leg open longer,” Dr. Neasman said.
“When we open the blockage in the legs, it allows the person to walk again without discomfort.”
For more information on peripheral artery disease, consult your physician and visit www.ValleyBaptist.net.
