If left unmanaged, diabetes can wreak havoc on your overall health. The medical team at Bloomfield Vein & Vascular PLLC in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, has the expertise to help you manage its impact on your vascular health. If you think you have diabetes or want to learn more about what you can do to avoid it, book an appointment online or call the office today.
Diabetes is a disease whereby the body cannot properly distribute glucose from the food we eat to the cells in our body. Consequently, your glucose levels remain high.
Over time, high glucose levels can cause serious health issues. For instance, high glucose damages the inner walls of your arteries, creating a buildup of plaque which blocks blood flow to your lower extremities, a condition known as peripheral vascular disease.
People living with diabetes are at a greater risk of developing peripheral artery disease or blocked arteries, especially in the blood vessels in the lower leg in the area between the knee and the ankle. The blockage reduces the blood flow to the feet and toes.
Diabetes also leads to changes to the skin, causing it to dry out more easily. Muscular changes in the feet of diabetics can also alter the shape of the foot, creating new pressure points, and causing some people with diabetes to walk differently.
All these factors converge to increase the likelihood of developing wounds on the feet or toes. Since people with diabetes have trouble healing, troublesome leg and foot ulcers can develop.
However, since diabetes often leads to nerve damage, many diabetics may not know that they have peripheral artery disease, as their pain receptors don’t work properly.
An infection or foot wound is often the first sign of PAD, which, if left untreated, could lead to a stroke or heart attack.
Managing diabetes and serious medical conditions like peripheral artery disease can be complicated. However, working with a highly trained and experienced vascular surgeon in a technically advanced practice can make all the difference in the world.
Minimally invasive treatment options include:
At Bloomfield Vein & Vascular, we have the expertise to help manage your diabetes and PAD. We will examine you, perform a specialized ultrasound test and if it is necessary, recommend a minimally invasive approach to deal with the arteries that are blocked and are not providing appropriate flow to your foot and/or toes. It is important that you understand that the management of this condition is complex and as a vascular surgeon with close to two decades of experience, I can help you in this regard.
Our office has a state-of-the-art angiography suite that allows us to treat your PAD safely and without hospitalization. We have access to the latest technology to minimize complications, using advances such as IntraVascular Ultrasound (IVUS) to see the inside of your arteries and using CO2 instead of IV contrast to decrease the risk of kidney damage. We work closely in collaboration with your primary care doctor, podiatrist and/or endocrinologist to ensure the best results and minimize the risk of an amputation.
The following angiograms shows before and after treatment of tibial disease in a diabetic patient.
The image on the LEFT captures the narrowing of the AT artery as a result of plaque. After minimally invasive treatment (atherectomy and angioplasty), restoring flow in the diseased peroneal and AT arteries.
We have helped hundreds of patients in our practice and have become the trusted and preferred referral source for podiatrists in the area. Diabetes and PAD can have devastating consequences. Trust us to help you manage your condition.
If you have diabetes and are concerned about your vascular health, contact Bloomfield Vein & Vascular PLLC in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Book online or call today.
