How serious is blockage in legs?

Any blocked blood flow to your legs can cause pain, weakness, and numbness. A blocked artery also increases your risk of developing a serious infection. Gangrene can develop from severely blocked blood flow and cause body tissue to die. In severe cases, this may require leg amputation.

How serious is a blocked artery in the leg?

The arteries in your legs and feet can get blocked, just like the arteries in your heart. When this happens, less blood flows to your legs. This is called peripheral artery disease (PAD). If your leg arteries are badly blocked, you may develop foot pain while resting or a sore that won't heal.

What do they do for blockage in your legs?

Angioplasty is a procedure to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels that supply blood to your legs. Fatty deposits can build up inside the arteries and block blood flow. A stent is a small, metal mesh tube that keeps the artery open. Angioplasty and stent placement are two ways to open blocked peripheral arteries.

What is the life expectancy of someone with peripheral artery disease?

If left untreated, PAD can result in the need for a major amputation of the foot or leg. This is most concerning because the life expectancy for 60% of PAD amputee patients is only 2 to 5 years.

What are the symptoms of blockage in the legs?

Claudication is a symptom of a narrowing or blockage of an artery. Typical symptoms of claudication include: Pain, a burning feeling, or a tired feeling in the legs and buttocks when you walk. Shiny, hairless, blotchy foot skin that may get sores.

Peripheral artery disease: Pathophysiology, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments, Animation

Is peripheral artery disease a death sentence?

This risk means that one in five people with PAD, if left undiagnosed and untreated, will suffer a heart attack, stroke, or death within five years. Untreated PAD can have other serious consequences, including leg muscle pain, discomfort during exercise, and loss of mobility and independence.

How long do you stay in the hospital after a stent?

What should you expect? The procedure may take place right after the arteriogram, which is used to find the blockage, or it may occur the next day. You may need to stay in the hospital two or three days.

Can poor leg circulation cause death?

A blood clot can occur anywhere in your body, but they most often occur in your legs and arms. Blood clots can be dangerous, and one of the first signs you may have is poor circulation in your appendages. If a blood clot breaks away and enters your heart or lungs, it can lead to a stroke, heart attack or even death.

Is peripheral artery disease life-threatening?

PAD is not immediately life-threatening, but the process of atherosclerosis that causes it can lead to serious and potentially fatal problems.

Can peripheral artery disease cause death?

Patients who had other related diseases (such as diabetes) were at the highest risk of death. The “bad news” is that peripheral arterial disease IS dangerous. It can even be potentially life-threatening. Especially if it is not diagnosed and treated early.

How long does it take to recover from leg stent surgery?

It may take 6 to 8 weeks to recover fully. Your leg on the side of the procedure may be swollen for a few days or weeks. This will improve as the blood flow to the limb becomes normal.

How serious is having a stent put in?

As with all types of surgery, coronary angioplasty carries a risk of complications. However, the risk of serious problems is small. Complications can occur during or after an angioplasty. It's common to have bleeding or bruising under the skin where the catheter was inserted.

How long does an angiogram of the leg take?

A peripheral angiogram usually takes 1 to 3 hours from the time you arrive until the catheter is removed.

Can you live with blocked arteries?

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is treatable, but there is no cure. This means that once diagnosed with CAD, you have to learn to live with it for the rest of your life. By lowering your risk factors and losing your fears, you can live a full life despite CAD.

Can a completely blocked artery be unblocked?

Chronic total occlusions are arteries that are 100 percent blocked by plaque. These arteries are blocked for several months, if not years. Two procedures can treat this condition: bypass surgery or a non-invasive procedure done in the cath lab.

How successful are stents in legs?

Patients who received stents had a 31 percent risk of needing another procedure to restore blood flow within 24 months, while those who received a bypass had a 54 percent chance of needing another intervention. The researchers found that women were twice as likely as men to need a second operation.

What happens if you don't treat peripheral artery disease?

If left untreated, people with PAD can develop serious health problems, including: Heart attack: Permanent damage to your heart muscle caused by a lack of blood supply to your heart for an extended time. Stroke: Interruption of the blood flow to your brain.

Is peripheral artery disease a terminal?

While peripheral artery disease itself isn't usually fatal, it could be a sign there are other blockages that could cause a deadly heart attack or stroke, according to Michael Go, MD, a surgeon with the Integrated Vascular Center at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Can peripheral artery disease be fixed?

Contents. There's no cure for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), but lifestyle changes and medicine can help reduce the symptoms. These treatments can also help reduce your risk of developing other types of cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as: coronary heart disease.

What kind of doctor treats poor circulation in legs?

A vascular physician will diagnose any conditions, prescribe any medications you might need, and formulate an actionable treatment plan for managing your poor circulation. You may require medication or procedures to treat your conditions, but your doctor will also recommend lifestyle changes.

What surgery fixes clogged arteries?

The surgery to clear a blocked artery is called a carotid endarterectomy (CEA). If you have a blocked artery, you may wonder if you need a CEA. But if you haven't had symptoms, you should think twice about having CEA surgery.

What causes no blood flow to legs?

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a condition of the blood vessels that supply the legs and feet. It occurs due to narrowing of the arteries in the legs. This causes decreased blood flow, which can injure nerves and other tissues.

Is a stent major surgery?

Stenting is a minimally invasive procedure, meaning it is not considered major surgery. Stents can be made of metal mesh, fabric, silicone, or combinations of materials. Stents used for coronary arteries are made of metal mesh. Fabric stents, also called stent grafts, are used in larger arteries such as the aorta.

Do you go to ICU after a stent?

Just after the procedure

Once your blood pressure, pulse, and breathing are stable and you are alert, you may be taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) or a regular hospital room. If the sheath was left in the insertion site, it will be removed from the groin or arm at the appropriate time.

Are you awake during a stent procedure?

General anesthesia isn't needed. You'll receive a sedative to help you relax, but you may be awake during the procedure depending on how deeply you are sedated. You'll receive fluids, medications to relax you and blood-thinning medications (anticoagulants) through an IV catheter in your hand or arm.