Treatment of foot vascular occlusion
The problem of arterial blockage is a frightening and painful problem for many people. It may cause foot amputation in the future if the patient does not hurry to treat it before the situation deteriorates and complications appear.
Arterial occlusion causes insufficient blood supply, or a complete lack of blood supply to some organs, which causes organ damage if treatment is delayed. For example, if the foot blood vessel blockage is not treated promptly, foot will be in danger of amputation.
Types of arterial blockages:
The blockages experienced by some patients are divided into two types:
1- Non-acute obstruction:
It is the blockage that occurs over time due to the accumulation of fatty substances on the walls of the arteries, known as atherosclerosis. It can be treated with medication.
2- Acute obstruction:
It is a blockage that occurs suddenly, and this blockage often causes gangrene if the blockage of the blood vessels in the foot is not treated quickly.
Symptoms of vascular obstruction in the foot:
• Contraction of the foot muscles, especially the calf and thigh muscles.
• Feeling severe pain in the legs during rest time, especially while trying to sleep.
• Noticeable swelling in the feet.
• Sores in the foot may reach the extent of gangrene.
It is not reasonable to treat the blockage of blood vessels using medications if the patient reaches this condition, as it is proof of a significant delay in the condition.
Causes of blockage of blood vessels in the foot:
• The presence of a problem in the heart valves.
• Atrial flutter in the heart.
• Movement of a clot caused by a problem in the cardiac valves, which led to blockage of the artery.
• Hypertension.
• Hypercholesterolemia.
• Diabetes, which causes weakening of the blood vessels.
• Obesity, which causes the accumulation of fat layers on the walls of blood vessels and arteries.
• Nervous tension.
• Natural progression in age.
• Smoking for long periods is one of the causes of clogged arteries.
Treatment of vascular obstruction in the foot:
The stage of treating vascular obstruction begins with a proper diagnosis of the patient and then taking the measures required for each case.
Diagnosis:
• Clinical examination, asking the patient about his symptoms.
• Color Doppler.
• CT scan with dye shows the exact location of the blockage and indicates the appropriateness of implanting a stent in this area.
Treatment of vascular obstruction in the foot (non-acute):
After a proper examination and knowledge of the location and size of the blockages in the blood vessels, the doctor prescribes some medications that help increase blood fluidity, prevent clotting, and improve blood circulation.
Treatment of blocked blood vessels in the foot (acute occlusion):
• If the patient shows symptoms of severe blockage, most notably the inability to move the foot or leg, he should immediately go to the best vascular doctor, because the delay worsens the situation, and increase treatment difficulty.
• The doctor performs tests quickly to determine the location of the clot or blockage.
• The doctor depends on the peripheral catheter in 90% of cases or resorts to traditional surgery to get rid of the blockage.
• The patient may need to implant stents inside the arteries in some cases with narrow arteries, as these stents widen the arteries and allow blood to flow normally.
• This procedure takes about 45 minutes, and the patient can move his foot after the operation.
These procedures prevent many complications that may occur in case of complete blockage. The most dangerous of which are: the need to amputate the foot. So time is the most important factor.
All people who suffer from diabetes, hypertension, or obesity, and have developed symptoms of clogged arteries should immediately go to Dr. Waleed Al-Daly without fear.
