Emergency Procedure Saves Patient’s Leg

Essentia Health Physicians Help Treat and Prevent Peripheral Vascular Disease

Regina Coleman of rural Oakes, ND, is back on her feet after emergency treatment at Essentia Health-Fargo for a serious blood clot that threatened her left leg.

at first, her left foot tingled, like it was asleep. Then pain started in both legs, making it hard to walk. When ibuprofen didn’t help, 74-year-old Regina Coleman went to the emergency department at her local hospital in Oakes, ND. Doctors there recognized the need for emergency care, and a helicopter transported Coleman to Essentia Health-Fargo.

Even though he wasn’t on call that night, Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Yassar Almanaseer answered the cell phone by his bed. He rushed to work, and when he examined Coleman around midnight, her left leg was white and cold to the touch. A major blockage in her abdomen was preventing the blood from flowing into her legs properly.

“There was no pulse in both legs – no blood coming below the pelvic area,” Dr. Almanaseer remembers. “It was more severe on the left side.”

Dr. Amanaseer consulted with Essentia Health surgeon Dr. Fady Nasrallah. They knew the situation was serious, and could even lead to amputation. “If there was no way to reestablish blood flow, she would have lost her left leg,” Dr. Nasrallah says.

Dr. Almanaseer decided to perform a minimally invasive procedure to dissolve the large blood clot in her abdominal aorta. Using a thin tube called a catheter, he entered a blood vessel near Coleman’s elbow and threaded the device to the main artery in her thigh. He used the tube to deliver clot-busting medication during the night.

“Dr. Almanaseer came into my room the next day and said, ‘You are a lucky lady.’ ” Coleman remembers. “I have to admit – I was lucky.”

The procedure had worked, restoring the blood flow to her legs. The difference was especially dramatic on the left side. “My foot started turning red,” Coleman says. “The blood was flowing again. My legs didn’t hurt any more. I could walk.”

Dr. Almanaseer also placed a stent to prop open the artery where the blockage had occurred. Coleman went home the next day, and before long, she was back working around the house and mowing the lawn.

A clot like Coleman’s is rare, says Dr. Almanaseer. But the threat of vascular disease in the legs is all too common.

“Peripheral vascular disease affects 8 to 12 million people,” Dr. Almanaseer explains. “Often patients don’t experience any symptoms. Or if they do experience symptoms – such as leg pain, exhaustion, numbness in their legs or the inability to walk 50 yards – they often think it is simply part of aging.”

Those at risk for peripheral vascular disease include people with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and those who smoke. “It’s important to be vigilant about it and to talk to your doctor,” says Dr. Nasrallah.

Dr. Almanaseer agrees. “If you have blockages in your legs, there’s a 30-40 percent chance that you have blockages somewhere else in your body as well.” That could lead to heart attack or stroke.

The physicians at Essentia HealthFargo are ready to help patients with peripheral arterial disease – whether it’s an emergency procedure in the middle of the night, or working with patients to avoid a blood clot in the first place.

Coleman says she didn’t fully realize how serious her blockage was until she was in recovery and feeling better. Now, she has new reason to appreciate every step she takes.

Essentia Health physicians recommend you talk with your doctor about your risk for peripheral vascular disease. If you don’t have a primary care physician, now’s a great time to establish a relationship with a healthcare provider. Go to www.essentiahealth.org to search for a doctor near you. In the Fargo-Moorhead area, you can call (701) 364-8900 to make an appointment.