The gangrene-affected limb of a diabetic was saved through pedal arch reconstruction, instead of amputating the leg, by Dr. Siba Sankar Dalai, interventional neuro radiologist, and his team, at Medicover Hospitals at Arilova here.
Ch. Visweswara Rao, the 56-year-old from East Godavari district, with a history of uncontrolled diabetes, has been suffering from gangrene in the left leg. At least 10% of patients, who suffer from uncontrolled diabetes for a period of 15 years, end up developing peripheral arteries disease, in the areas below the knee joint. And it is this condition that results into problems like gangrene, forcing the patient to sacrifice his/her limb to save life.
Dr. Siba Sankar Dalai said that while most patients recover with right medication, a few arrive at the hospital at an advanced stage of the ailment. Pedal Arch Reconstruction, an emerging technique, helps open, treat, and rearrange the damaged blood vessels to save the limb from being amputated.
Visweswara Rao, the sole breadwinner for his family of four, had neglected his diabetes levels and a severely damaged left limb necessitated reconstruction of the pedal arch. Amputation of the leg would have pushed the family into a difficult financial situation. “The patient has recovered and is out of danger,” says Dr. Dalai.
Visweswara Rao was admitted to Medicover Hospitals on September 8 and the surgery was performed on the next day. On recovering fully, he was discharged on September 14. “The pedal arch and vascular connections in the foot are highly variable from person to person, and identification or anticipation of these variants during diagnostic and intervention procedures is vital to a successful outcome,” he added.
