About PAD

Do you have pain or numbness in your legs while at rest?

Do you or does someone you know have a sore on the foot or leg that won’t heal?

Learn more about Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI).

PAD and CLI

PAD is the hardening or narrowing of the arteries — similar to having a slow, continuous heart attack in the leg. Plaque, or fatty deposits in the body, builds up in the artery. The build-up then hardens and clings to the artery walls, narrowing the passageway for blood flow. This means less blood flows to the lower legs, feet and toes. The lack of or reduced blood flow results in feelings of pain or numbness and the inability for wounds to heal.

Treatment options for PAD continue to expand. Physicians are getting better at diagnosing the disease, and technologies advance. For some, PAD may be treated by making lifestyle changes, taking medicines, or with endovascular or surgical procedures, depending on the severity of the disease.

Spectranetics uses the science of excimer laser ablation to offer a minimally invasive alternative to treat the disease.

CLI, the most severe form of PAD, occurs when plaque accumulates in the leg arteries, completely blocking blood flow. When blood flow is blocked, it may lead to pain, wounds that will not heal, ulcers and/or gangrene. If blood flow is not restored, the patient may be at high risk for amputation.

Approximately one-million people in the United States suffer from CLI. More than half of all CLI patients are diabetic. Many also share a history of smoking and obesity.

Until recently, the treatment options for CLI were bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty, and, in the most severe cases, amputation. Over 100,000 foot, toe or leg amputations result each year. Unfortunately, today amputations continue to occur. If you or someone you know is at risk for amputation due to Critical Limb Ischemia, find a physician near you for more information on excimer laser ablation.

Physicians who have used Spectranetics excimer laser technology the longest began by treating the most severe cases. The Food and Drug Administration cleared excimer laser ablation for CLI patients in the year 2000.

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