NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Trident Medical Center has implemented a new program that will help people who may be at risk of losing a limb because of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or emphysema.
Losing a toe or even a limb is more common than many people realize. Different types of health issues can cause poor circulation and result in amputation if not addressed properly.
This is why doctors at Trident Medical Center have created the Limb Preservation Program to help people who fall into these categories catch it before it is too late.
Doctor Anand Y. Shah is leading this program at Trident and wants to emphasize the importance of people paying attention to and staying on top of their health, especially if they have present issues.
Shah says that he has found that around one in three of the patients he encounters are either diabetic or prediabetic in some form. He sees several patients with circulation issues due to diabetes and high blood pressure or cholesterol, but he also sees a number of patients as young as in their 30s because of the impacts of smoking.
When these types of health conditions are not addressed, they can sneak up on a person and lead to the loss of a toe or a limb. Shah hopes that the limb salvage program can help patients stay on top of their health and save their limbs before it gets too late.
When it gets to the point of limb loss, this can impact a patient in more ways than just losing a limb, even shortening their life span in some cases. Once limb loss gets below the knee, the impacts are worse and can reduce life span by up to five years.
Shah says that many times the symptoms are silent at first. He says it happens very slowly at first and, when not addressed, can hit all at once.
“Often times, it’s very unfortunate. People come into the emergency room, and they’ve got really bad tissue loss or gangrene in their foot and they think they’re healthy,” he says. “All of the sudden they’re getting labeled with all of these diagnoses and there’s a not small percentage of patients I have that come in thinking they’re perfectly healthy and come out of the hospital with an amputation and five or seven new diagnoses.”
The loss of feeling in the toes or feet is a major sign, or legs giving out quickly when walking for a short period of time. Once that happens, something as simple as bumping the toe and creating a wound can be detrimental.
Limb loss is a factor, but untreated diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure can also lead to kidney failure, stroke and other circulation issues, so it is important to address health issues properly.
Shah says for someone who has any of these health issues and circulation problems, do not give up hope, as there are many treatment options available.
“Probably one of the most important things that I want to convey to people is that although it is impossible to reverse 30 or 40 years of blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, there are plenty of treatment options that are available. I would not encourage a patient to get pigeon hold into only stenting and balloon angioplasty,” he says.
He says there are medications and open surgical techniques that can be very effective as well. His hope is that the limb preservation program will be something that has several entry points, whether a patient comes from a podiatrist, cardiologist, a wound care center or a primary care physician.
Shah suggests making sure to get examined frequently and establish care with a primary care doctor. Patients who believe they may need the help from his program can see a primary care doctor for a referral to come in for examination.
He also recommends people with diabetes to check their feet often and he encourages everyone to stop smoking to get ahead of the curve.
He says the goal of this program is to have something that is comprehensive both in and out of the hospital. He is excited to see how they are able to grow and expand and help patients with this new program.
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Trident Medical Center doctor working to save limbs with preservation program
