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PAD Treatment: What is Femoral Artery Bypass Surgery?
PAD Treatment: What is Femoral Artery Bypass Surgery?TranscriptIf peripheral artery disease, or PAD, is getting in the way of your life every day, or ifyour blood flow is severely reduced because of a blockage, your healthcare providermay recommend a procedure called femoral bypass surgery. Femoral bypass surgeryrestores blood flow by creating a new route for blood to flow around the blockage.Arteries in your neck, legs and arms, called peripheral arteries, circulate oxygen-richblood throughout your body. Blood flows easily through a healthy peripheral artery.But over time, cholesterol and other fatty deposits called plaque can build up on theartery wall. This narrowing of the arteries is called atherosclerosis.The artery can become partially blocked, reducing blood flow to parts of your body.Because it is more common to have blockages in your legs, if you have PAD, youmay notice leg pain, called claudication; fatigue; cramping; dry, scaly skin; poor hairgrowth; and slow-healing wounds on your lower legs and feet.If left untreated, the blockage can continue to build. Your peripheral arteries maynarrow even further. A piece of plaque can break off of the blockage, travel down avessel and get lodged in place, completely blocking the artery.When oxygen-rich blood cannot get to a part of the body, damage occurs. Thisdamage can cause serious complications, like amputation, and can even lead to heartattack and stroke.For many people, lifestyle changes and medication may be enough to control thesymptoms of PAD and improve overall heart health. But if your blockage is in thefemoral artery of your leg, you may need femoral bypass surgery to restore bloodflow through your leg to your feet in order to prevent damage.During femoral bypass surgery, a healthy vessel taken from the leg or arm, or anartificial vessel, is grafted onto the artery above and below the narrowed or blockedportion. It will bypass the clogged portion of your peripheral artery and restoreblood20% gradient meshflow to your muscles, giving them the oxygen they need to function. Femoral bypasssurgery usually takes 2 to 3 hours and you will stay in the hospital for 1 to 3 days.healthclipsPAD is serious. It’s a warning sign that you are at risk for serious health problems,healthclipsincluding heart attack and stroke. Femoral bypass surgery can restore blood flow toyour legs and reduce both the symptoms and the complications of PAD.healthclipshealthclips4% gradient meshThis program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, orsuitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.hc_ha_10198_98_en_t00002.pdf© Milner-Fenwick, Inc.healthclips5% gradient mesh
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Watch what you will need to do, and what your healthcare team does, before and immediately after your femoral bypass surgery.
See what to expect as you recover from your femoral bypass surgery.
Watch how this procedure clears blockages and restores blood flow in the arteries of your arms and legs.
Watch how the angioplasty and stenting procedures restore blood flow in the narrowed artery.
