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New Procedure Helps Save Legs

Drug-Eluting Stent Study Shows Amputation and Mortality Decrease

An estimated 20-30 million Americans are at risk for developing a variety of vascular diseases. For most people, lifestyle modifications or medication is all that is needed to control the disease. But roughly 150,000-300,000 Americans develop a form of advanced lower extremity vascular disease yearly. These patients either have non-healing foot ulcers or severe resting leg and foot pain. This type of disease is called critical limb Ischemia (CLI). Within the first year of diagnosis, 30 percent of these patients will need amputation and 25 percent will die. Unfortunately, traditional surgical approaches (i.e. bypass surgery) to treat these patients have not significantly improved their outcomes. Furthermore, many of patients are considered too high risk to undergo an operation

But now there is new hope for many of these patients. Dr. Andrew Feiring, Interventional Cardiologist and Vascular specialist at Columbia St. Mary’s Vascular Institute, and colleagues, has recently developed a new method of preventing amputations and preventing death in these patients. The result of this study was recently reported in the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference in Washington, DC in October 2007

Dr. Feiring demonstrated that even among the higher risk patients, the use of drug coated stents could be used to open clogged or narrowed arteries in the legs. The effects of these drug coated stents were evaluated in 83 patients suffering from CLI, many of these patients had been rejected or failed surgical bypass. A total of 100 limbs were treated between May 2003 and 2007. All patients were also given aspirin and anti-platelet drugs, and evaluated and treated for other vascular and cardiac issues.

Dr. Feiring followed these patients for up to 43 months after the procedure and found that amputation rates and mortality rates were significantly lower among his treated patients when compared to national averages. At the end of the study the amputation rate was
8 percent versus the three-year national average of 50 percent and survival was 78 percent compared to the 40 percent average with routine care.

About Dr. Andrew Feiring

Dr. Feiring is internationally recognized as an interventional cardiologist and for his innovative vascular work utilizing drug-eluting stents for treating critical limb ischemia. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Feiring has been selected as a “Best MD in America” and “Who’s Who in America”.

About the Vascular Institute
Dr. Feiring is just one of the team members at the Columbia St. Mary’s Vascular Institute. Team members include cardiologists, interventional cardiologist, vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists, along with podiatrists and wound care specialists, all specializing in vascular care, and all focused on developing the best treatment plan for each patient.