PREVENTING AMPUTATION AND THE POWER OF HOPE

The CDC’s latest data reports that 37.3 million Americans (about 1 in 10) have diabetes. Lower-limb amputations may be rising in the United States after decades of decline.

Can you imagine being told that amputation is your only option?

In a study published in the NIH National Library of Medicine, it was shown that after amputation, individuals are likely to feel anger, helplessness, and decreased self-esteem. The despair and anguish leading up to an amputation procedure are heartbreaking for both the patient and family members.

“One of the best feelings I get as a physician is when I can o er patients options to help prevent a foot or leg amputation, especially when they have been told there are no other treatment options. To be able to help someone like that is what helps fuel my continued passion for wound care and limb salvage.” -David Swain,

DPM, CWSP

According to APA Fellow and boardcertified psychiatrist Dale Archer, MD

“As long as a patient has hope, they can recover from anything and everything.”

The Amputation Prevention Center at First Coast Cardiovascular Institute is on a mission to prevent amputations and o er hope instead of despair.

Can you imagine being told that amputation is your only option?

Thousands of patients have come to us for amputation prevention and limb preservation since 2002. Our patients seek our care from across the nation. Some have vessels too calcified while others have bad kidneys which makes it di cult to safely use contrast dye for procedures. We have perfected techniques for those and others.

Our team of interventional cardiologists is so passionate and dedicated we have been training junior doctors on advances in this technology for years. Together, we can make unnecessary amputations a misfortune of the past.

“It is a great privilege to treat high-risk patients who are vulnerable to lower extremity wounds and amputations. It is gratifying to have my patients "ring the bell" in the clinic, signifying that their wound has fully healed. Behind each sound of the bell is a culmination of surgeries/grafting/wound care across several interdisciplinary fields of medicine, all working together for the betterment of the patient. Wound care and limb salvage is a challenging, yet extremely rewarding experience.” - Steven Bateh,

DPM

Yazan Khatib, MD, President of First Coast Cardiovascular Institute, shares: “Our region is blessed to have wonderful wound doctors and wound care centers like Baptist Wound Care, Memorial Wound Care, St. Vincent Wound Care, North Florida Amputation Prevention Center, and Reflections Wound Care. All are focused on saving every foot possible. We are privileged and committed to collaborate with these excellent colleagues when asked."

If you have been told amputation is your only choice, contact us today.

Resources: Psychology Today, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and AJMC