New hope for Britons at risk of amputation due to blood vessel disease
Revolutionary treatment for dealing with blood vessel disease could offer hope to 5,000 Britons a year at risk of amputation
- The new treatment is used in patients suffering from critical limb ischemia
- The condition, caused by lifestyle factors, has serious consequences for a patient’s mobility
People at risk of limb loss due to serious blood flow problems could be spared a life-changing amputation thanks to a revolutionary treatment.
The new procedure, called LimFlow, treats a type of blood vessel disease called critical limb ischemia, in which blockages in the arteries cut off blood flow to the legs and feet.
The condition – which is usually caused by lifestyle factors – has a serious impact on mobility and around 5,000 people in the UK require amputation each year.
But an American study shows that with LimFlow three-quarters of patients can keep their legs.
About 30 NHS patients have already undergone the treatment as part of an ongoing study in which surgeons insert small tubes into the leg that direct blood flow around the blockages to return the supply to the foot. While the results of this trial have yet to be published, the procedure was deemed so effective that three NHS hospitals have requested that the technology continue to be used.
People at risk of limb loss due to serious blood flow problems could be spared a life-changing amputation thanks to a revolutionary treatment
The condition – which is usually caused by lifestyle factors – seriously affects mobility and around 5,000 people in the UK have to undergo amputation each year
Experts believe it could now be available in the NHS within two years.
“LimFlow is a new alternative to major amputations and offers hope where there was none before,” said Dr. Mehdi Shishehbor, a cardiologist at the Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, who led the US study. “The results of this study are excellent and it is very clear that LimFlow is a powerful tool to prevent amputation.”
Critical limb ischemia affects around 60,000 people in the UK each year. Fat deposits build up in the leg arteries, causing the blood vessels to narrow over time, reducing circulation to the legs and feet. This means that wounds and sores heal slowly and life-threatening infections become more likely.
While there are a number of treatments, including inserting a stent — a small mesh tube — into the artery to widen the blood vessel, they are often unsuccessful.
During the LimFlow procedure, which is performed under local anesthesia, two tubes are inserted into the patient – one through the groin and one through the ankle. When the tubes meet at the point of the blockage, they are connected, allowing blood to flow around the buildup of deposits.