Raleigh General Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Raise Awareness of Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a condition that develops when the arteries, that supply blood to the internal organs, arms and legs, become completely or partially blocked as a result of atherosclerosis. PAD affects between eight and 12 million people in the U.S., contributes to difficult to heal wounds and is associated with amputation. Though the symptoms may be serious, an astonishing 40 percent of people with PAD do not experience any symptoms.

Raleigh General Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine a member of the Healogics® network, treats chronic wounds with underlying conditions of the disease as well as performs non-invasive tests for PAD and counsels patients on how to manage the illness which can, if left untreated, lead to lower limb amputation and death.

In addition to chronic wounds on the toes, feet or legs, the experts at Raleigh General Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine give the following risk factors and symptoms of PAD:

• Those who smoke or have a history of smoking have up to four time’s greater risk.
• One in every three diabetics over the age of 50 is likely to have the disease.
• People with high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol or a personal history of vascular disease, heart attack, or stroke are at greater risk.
• As you get older the risk increases since the disease develops gradually.
• While some people dismiss it as a sign of aging, nearly everyone with PAD is unable to walk as fast or as far as they could before.
• A typical sign is experiencing fatigue or a heaviness in the limbs or cramping in the thigh or calf after walking or climbing stairs and then feeling better after resting.
• Leg or foot pain may cause trouble sleeping for those with PAD.
• The skin of the feet may change color and become pale or turn blue.
• Toenails that do not grow as well as before and decreased hair growth on the toes and legs may be another symptom.

Advanced PAD results in delayed wound healing and greater risk for limb loss. Timely detection and treatment of any wound can reduce risk of amputation and improve quality of life. Raleigh General Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine offers advanced wound care treatment, technology and research. That means patients heal faster than those who receive only generalized wound care.

For more information on managing PAD and treating chronic or infected wounds, contact Raleigh General Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine located at 1710 Harper Road, Beckley WV or call (304) 254-3047.

About Healogics

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Healogics is the nation’s wound healing expert. Last year over 300,000 patients received advanced wound care through a nationwide network of over 600 Wound Care Centers®. The Healogics team is made up of almost 3,000 employees, 4,000 affiliated physicians and a Healogics Specialty Physician practice group of nearly 300. In addition to the company’s network of outpatient Centers, Healogics partners with over 300 skilled nursing facilities to care for patients with chronic wounds and provides inpatient consults at more than 80 partner hospitals. As the industry leader, Healogics has the largest repository of chronic wound-specific patient data in the country. The Healogics Wound Science Initiative, an effort launched in 2017 to provide peer-reviewed research, recognizes the value and relevance of big data and advanced analytics to drive continuous, collaborative learning towards a better understanding of how to efficiently utilize healthcare resources for patients with wounds. For additional information, please visit Healogics.com.