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.

Innovative health technology at Imperial College London

The benefits of applying technological know how to patient care were demonstrated by Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Imperial College London.

4 Oct 2007

New device for clearing blocked arteries in the legs receives FDA approval

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI) has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the use of the Diamondback 360 Orbital Atherectomy System (OAS) for removing plaque blockages in the legs (peripherals) and restoring blood flow.

25 Sep 2007

Experts say crib bumpers do more harm than good and should not be used

Researchers in the United States are warning that the soft cushioned bumpers used around cribs and bassinets, do more harm than good.

20 Sep 2007

Recommendation that parents not use bumper pads in cribs or bassinets

Although bumper pads are theoretically designed to prevent injury to a baby while in the crib or bassinet, the risk of accidental death or injury to an infant from using them outweighs their possible benefits, according to a new study by pediatric researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

18 Sep 2007

Novel angiogenic drugs could revolutionize treatment of peripheral arterial disease

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the market entry of novel angiogenic agents, including a future blockbuster drug from Genzyme, could revolutionize symptomatic treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

12 Sep 2007

New minimally-invasive coated vascular stent graft in use at Methodist DeBakey Heart Center

Surgeons at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston were among the first in the U.S. to implant a new, less-invasive stent graft designed to reduce the risk of blood clots in patients treated for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which affects as many as 12 million Americans over the age of 50.

11 Sep 2007

getABI study finds that even mild atherosclerosis in the legs increases mortality substantially

Patients with atherosclerosis in the leg arteries face a substantially increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk, according to a large study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Vienna.

3 Sep 2007

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

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