September 27, 2006
Prairie du Sac, Wis.--An estimated 20 to 30 million Americans are at risk for vascular diseases occurring outside the heart, such as aortic aneurysms, stroke, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and carotid artery disease, according to the American Vascular Association (AVA). Most of the time, the symptoms often go unnoticed. The good news is that there are simple and painless tests that can detect the early stages of vascular disease, before it's too late.

"The problems that go along with these diseases are life and limb threatening," warns Derek B. Johnson, MD, a general and vascular surgeon at Surgical Associates and Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital in Prairie du Sac, Wis. Vascular disease outside the heart, according to the AVA, causes more death and disability than cancer, and nearly as much as heart disease.

Bilingual in English and Spanish, Johnson urges individuals who are at risk for vascular disease to talk with their doctors about whether testing makes sense. "These studies can be arranged through your primary care physician," said Johnson, who received the Award for Excellence in Vascular Surgery during his residency at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass. In the event a patient is determined to have vascular concerns, he added, we can treat them at Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital.

Are You At Risk?
Risk factors for vascular disease, include:

• 55 years or older

• smoker

• high cholesterol

• high blood pressure

• family history of vascular disease

• diabetes

• other signs of hardening of the arteries in the past (stenting, heart attacks, etc.)
  

If vascular disease is caught early, subsequent strokes, aortic aneurisms and loss of limbs can be prevented, along with related disability or death.

Tests That Can Prevent Disability and Death
There are three types of painless tests used to detect vascular disease, which use ultrasound (sound waves) to detect blockages, plaque or bulges in the arteries. These can be performed at Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital, and are encouraged by Johnson, since many vascular diseases aren't symptomatic.

The Carotid Scan involves the use of painless ultrasound to investigate the health of a person's carotid arteries, which deliver oxygen-rich blood to the brain. The scan works to help prevent stroke, the third leading cause of death in America, and the leading cause of disability, according to Johnson. Typically, patients don't notice any symptoms until the onset of a stroke.

The Aortic Scan is an ultrasound scan of the aorta, the body's largest artery in the chest and abdomen. It helps identify aortic aneurysms - a weakening and/or bulging of a section of the aorta - before it becomes life threatening. If left unchecked, an abdominal aortic aneurysm can rupture, causing death in 80 percent of cases. Again, patients typically don't feel symptoms until a rupture occurs.

A PAD Scan uses a Doppler flowmeter or ultrasound to determine if there are blockages in arteries feeding blood to a person's legs. PAD, which plagues 25 to 30 million Americans, can impair circulation to the limbs and lead to disability or amputation. With PAD, most affected individuals experience symptoms including, aching legs, leg muscle pain during walking or other exercise, pain in the ball of the foot or toes, foot pain at night, ulcers or sores on feet or ankles, or bluish or black discoloration of the toes.

(Above) Ultrasound is used to perform peripheral arterial disease (PAD) scans at Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital. This non-invasive, painless vascular test checks for blockages in arteries that feed blood to the legs. It's important to know if you are at risk for vascular disease, and if so, talk to your doctor about getting tested.

Treatments Close to Home

It's critical to understand, according to Johnson, that should a problem be discovered as a result of a vascular test, many can be treated at Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital using new surgical methods that are less invasive than in the past. Surgery is sometimes needed, but modern, catheter-based technologies using grafts or stents are often used very successfully, according to Johnson. Thus, recovery time is significantly less than in the past.

If you have risk factors for vascular disease, talk to your primary care doctor about getting tested. To schedule an appointment, contact Surgical Associates, at 608-643-2431.