Peripheral Artery Disease News and Research

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Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) occurs when leg arteries become narrowed or blocked by plaque. These blockages can result in severe pain for patients, limited physical mobility, and life-threatening non-healing leg ulcers. According to the American Heart Association, this condition affects approximately 8 to 12 million Americans. With only about 25 percent of PAD patients undergoing treatment, it is a disease that is largely under-diagnosed and under-treated. If left untreated, PAD can lead to critical leg ischemia, a condition where not enough blood is being delivered to the leg to keep the tissue alive. Total loss of circulation to the legs and feet can cause gangrene and lead to amputation.

$Hip protectors do not reduce risk of hip fracture for nursing home residents$

Hip protectors do not reduce risk of hip fracture for nursing home residents

Use of an energy-absorbing hip protector did not provide a protective effect against hip fracture for nursing home residents, adding to increasing evidence that hip protectors, as currently designed, are not effective for preventing hip fractures, according to a study in the July 25 issue of JAMA.

25 Jul 2007

Spectranetics receives FDA go ahead to market laser catheters

Spectranetics Corporation has announced it has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its TURBO elite line of laser catheters for the treatment of all stenoses and occlusions within arteries of the leg.

13 Jul 2007

Injections of autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts could relieve stress urinary incontinence in women

Myoblasts are a type of muscle stem cell, while fibroblasts are cells which form the structural framework for many tissues in the body. Autologous cells are ones which the patient is the source of.

29 Jun 2007

Chronic alcohol consumption increases tumor growth and amgiogenesis of breast cancer in female mice

For the first time, scientists have used a laboratory mouse model to mimic the development of human alcohol-induced breast cancer.

30 Apr 2007

Report on radical prostatectomy for octogenarians

There is no defined recommendation for when to stop prostate cancer (CaP) screening, except when the life expectancy decreases to less than 10 years.

16 Apr 2007

Leg pain can mean peripheral arterial disease

David Dow thought he was having back problems, and that his legs were hurting as a result. As it turns out, that pain may have saved his life.

4 Apr 2007

Usefulness of C-reactive protein test questioned

Researchers with Dartmouth Medical School and the Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group at the White River Junction (Vt.) VA Medical Center are questioning the usefulness of the C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test for guiding decisions about the use of cholesterol-lowering medication.

27 Feb 2007

Gene therapy shows promise as treatment for diseased lower limbs at risk for amputation

New research suggests that gene therapy is a safe treatment method to explore in patients whose lower limbs are at risk for amputation because of poor circulation caused by blocked blood vessels.

27 Feb 2007

FDA warns of deadly results of skin-numbing creams

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about topical anesthetics that have skin-numbing effects.

7 Feb 2007

HRT shows promise in helping visual memory of postmenopausal women

Many women experience declines in their memory during and after menopause, a change thought to be due, in part, to the rapid hormonal changes they weather during that time.

20 Nov 2006

When it comes to warts Duct tape no magical cure

According to Dutch researchers, duct tape is ineffective in curing warts, a view which contradicts a common theory on how to get rid of the ugly skin blemishes.

7 Nov 2006

Peripheral arterial disease could predict life or death in heart patients

A growing health problem affecting older Americans puts them at higher risk for dying after heart surgery and other interventional procedures, such as heart catheterizations, according to findings published in the current edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and co-authored by two leading University of Kentucky cardiologists.

23 Oct 2006

New campaign to educate about peripheral arterial disease

More than 8 million men and women - one in 20 adults - have peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D), a largely unrecognized condition which puts them at risk for heart attack and stroke.

13 Sep 2006

Is there improvement of 'vascular depression' after carotid artery stenting?

Inserting a stent to open a narrowed carotid artery has been found to reduce symptoms of depression that may be associated with carotid stenosis, according to a study in the August issue of Radiology.

25 Jul 2006

Prostate adjustable continence therapy is a safe and effective treatment for post radical prostatectomy incontinence

Urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy may affect 3-8% of patients and can have a significant negative impact on a patient's quality of life.

14 Jun 2006

Duloxetine proven effective for use in men with stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy

Up to 33% of patients undergoing radical prostatectomy suffer from varying degrees of incontinence.

13 Jun 2006

Delayed calf muscle phosphocreatine recovery after exercise identifies peripheral arterial disease

Between 8 and 12 million Americans are affected by peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, where the arteries that bring blood to the legs are blocked by atherosclerotic plaque.

6 Jun 2006

Cigarette smoking and high cholesterol predict different forms of peripheral artery disease

Cigarette smoking and high cholesterol predict risk for some forms of peripheral artery disease (PAD), while diabetes predicts risk for other forms of the disease, researchers reported in a rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

6 Jun 2006

Comprehensive care for complex, high-risk pregnancies

As many as 3 percent of all pregnancies result in the birth of a baby with chromosomal anomalies like Down syndrome or structural anomalies such as congenital heart disease.

23 May 2006

Study highlights the benefits of a clinic that specializes in the needs of obese patients with metabolic syndrome

Obesity researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee found that a multidisciplinary clinical approach to caring for obese patients with metabolic syndrome could swiftly and significantly lower their risk for heart disease.

3 May 2006