Health Right Here: Peripheral arterial disease in our community

When asked by the surgery department chair as a medical student why I wanted to treat vascular patients, my response was to be useful, useful to people with a challenging systemic disease that often results in stroke, amputation, and death.

Often, wounds that haven't healed for months on a foot or a hand, or persistent leg pain provoked by walking or simply laying in bed are subtle indicators that Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), a vascular health challenge affecting many in our community, is present.

Allow me to relate one person's recent medical journey. A gentleman in his 70's was referre...