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Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

Are you suffering from leg pain, burning or aching in your calves, a wound in your foot or leg that won't heal? You may have Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) occurs when leg arteries become narrowed or blocked by plaque, a condition that raises the risk of heart attack, stroke, leg amputation, and death. This condition affects 8-12 million Americans, 1 as compared to 8.4 million Americans who have a history of cancer. 2 With only about 25 percent of PAD patients undergoing treatment 3 , it is a disease that is largely under-diagnosed and undertreated.

PAD can be characterized by a reduction in blood flow to the lower extremities due to plaque build-up in the leg arteries (also known as atherosclerosis). Plaque is made up of deposits of fats, cholesterol, and other substances. Plaque formations can grow large enough to significantly reduce blood flow through an artery.

When leg arteries are hardened and clogged, blood flow to the legs and feet is reduced. The blockage remains in the peripheral arteries and can cause pain, changes in skin color and temperature, sores or ulcers and difficulty walking. If left untreated, PAD can lead to Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI), 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.

General Facts about PAD

  • PAD affects 8 - 12 million people in the U.S. 1
  • An estimated 40% of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) patients have symptomatic PAD. 4
  • Patients with PAD have a higher 5-year mortality rate as those patients with breast cancer. 5
  • Approximately 40% of amputees die within 2 years of amputation. 6
  • An estimated 150,000 patients require lower-limb amputation for critical leg ischemia in the Unites States annually. 7

Thousands of patients suffering from peripheral artery disease (PAD) have been treated with the ev3® Plaque Excision System. Prior to the procedure, many of these patients experienced severe chronic pain caused by the build up of plaque and the restriction of blood flow to their legs. After having the ev3 plaque excision procedure, patients share their success stories about how it has affected their lives.


"When I think about that leg pain [I had prior to having the ev3 Plaque Excision procedure], it was a painful process. Not just in the physical pain, but my emotional state was something I'd rather not describe. Depressed, I guess, is the only thing I can say about that.

I was surprised when I was placed on the table [for the ev3 procedure] at how painless this was. It was an experience that I would gladly go through again.
When I got out of the hospital [after having the ev3 procedure], I was walking without a cane for the first time in over two years. I felt so free. It's hard to actually describe how it was. I had the walking cane on my arm, but that's all. I took a nice walk after I had retired the cane to my closet and I haven't touched it since.

Anybody that I know that has this kind of problem I would recommend it in a second. I think this is a new hope for a lot of people. I've seen people with amputations and all, and when I see them I feel very sad that they weren't given this option.

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