Workshop on Surgery cure for Peripheral Vascular Disease organised by Ruby Hall

(I-Newswire) - Workshop on Surgery cure for Peripheral Vascular Disease organised by
Ruby Hall
- Surgeries performed on five patients -
Pune, Tuesday 20th July 2009: In a bid to spread awareness about breakthrough treatments of Peripheral Vascular Disease ( PVD ), also known as Peripheral Arterial Disease, Ruby Hall had organised a day-long workshop recently.
The workshop, conducted under the supervision of Dr Bhagat Reddy from Georgia, USA. Dr Shirish ( M.S ) Hiremath, Dr Dhanesh Kamerkar and Dr Chandrashekhar Makhale actually performed Endo vascular procedures on five patients, who were suffering from PVD.
For cases of PAD, someone requiring surgery the newly developed device called the Frontrunner is now available which works in a similar way like an excavator, which bore through the mud and sludge causing the blockage. “It is like an angioplasty and a by-pass surgery performed on the leg,” says Dr Kamerkar.
Dr. Shirish ( M.S. ) Hiremath, Director, Ruby Hall Clinic said, “Lower limb PVD is a serious threat to the Indian population especially because of our susceptibility to Diabetes. Since people with diabetes frequently have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, it further accelerates the development of atherosclerosis. Given that PVD in diabetes is largely asymptomatic, patient education plays a key role in preventing major complications later. While 82,000 people have diabetes-related leg and foot amputations each year in India, timely treatment can significantly reduce this number”.

The new technique of surgery, prevalent in the West for a couple of years has now been brought to India to help patients who have a high risk of surgery. By the use of a Frontrunner, surgeons can avoid major cuts and incisions on the patient’s body and open up the blockage with just a puncture, as in conventional Coronary Angioplasty.
The workshop, which has already been held at major cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad etc. aimed to instruct doctors about new tools and techniques that they can learn to deal effectively with the threat of PVD .
PVD, a widely prevalent, progressive atherosclerotic disease that carries a high risk of limb loss, stroke, and premature death, which can affect anyone. It occurs when the arteries ( blood vessels ) that supply blood to various parts of the body become narrow because of the buildup of fatty deposits on the inside walls of the blood vessels of the heart ( coronary artery disease ), brain ( cerebrovascular disease ) and kidney ( renal artery disease ). Because of this, people with PVD have a higher risk of heart attack, stroke or kidney failure.
Dr. Shirish ( M.S. ) Hiremath who has the largest volume of Angioplasties, explained how cardiologists have got involved in managing leg issues.” Basically the process of atherosclerosis ( aging of the arteries ) is same all over the body. Measures taken to avoid atherosclerosis help both “Heart and Health.” Also, with enormous expertise in Heart arteries, Dr. Shirish ( M.S. ) Hiremath, feels they are very adapt to performing leg Angioplasties.
The doctors warn that people with PVD, if not treated are likely to undergo amputation of the limbs. “If people have better tools available to them, the results in treating patients can improve drastically. Thus, the workshop is beneficial not just to doctors and a boon to patients suffering from PVD, but to the whole society at large,” acts Dr Kamerkar.
One of the patients, Suhas Patil, who got operated said, “ I was suffering from daibetes from a very long time but I was not aware of PVD. When the doctors informed me about it, I had lost all hopes. There are many such people like me who are not aware of such consequences Such kind of workshops should be organized on a regular basis to make people aware about the disease. I would like to thank all the doctors who helped me in understanding the effects of the disease and guided in the right direction.”