| The Houston Center for Vascular Health (HCVH) is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to the treatment of vascular disease, prevention of amputations, sharing knowledge of arterial and venous diseases, and training physicians in the most current and innovative technologies to save limbs in patients with critical arterial and/or venous disease. |
Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) effects between 8 and 10 million people in the United States. In the Houston area, 160,000 to 200,000 individuals suffer from the complications of PVD. The disease is primarily caused by atherosclerosis and is associated with many risk factors including diabetes, obesity, smoking, elevated cholesterol, and genetic factors. |
When circulatory blockages threaten the viability of a person’s limbs or extremities, complex interventions may be the only option available to patients with extensive PVD. A common result of undiagnosed PVD is the reduction of blood flow to the body’s extremities, especially the lower legs and feet. |
More than 200,000 amputations are done each year in the U.S., and most of them involve people who are diabetic or have kidney disease. The loss of a limb has very profound physical, emotional and financial impacts on the patient, his or her family, and society in general. |