Northside Hospital Forsyth has launched a comprehensive program to help those with limb issues, especially artery disease, prevent unnecessary amputations.
The Limb Preservation Program is compromised of physicians specializing in wound car, infectious disease, diabetes and nutrition, podiatry, plastic and vascular surgery. The goal of the program is to identify patients at risk of limb loss and care for them to avoid amputation. The program also works to refer care for primary care physicians and specialists.
“Many of these amputations can be avoided if the affected patients receive timely, multi specialty, coordinated treatment” said Dr. Catalin Harbuzariu, Northside Hospital vascular surgeon. “However, many patients may have a negative outcome due to delay in initiation of care or a lack of coordination between specialties.”
Once patients are identified as having a limb-threatening condition - including peripheral artery disease, which narrows or blocks vessels that carry blood to from the heart to the limbs - evaluation and testing will begin, and a dedicated nurse navigator will be there to guide patients through the initial evaluation to treatments to follow-up and lifestyle changes.
“To have a dedicated limb preservation nurse navigator, who follows patients throughout their treatment and calls them regularly after discharge to ensure that the care plan is being followed and the consultations are progressing well, combined with the expertise of our providers, is key to successful treatment and to returning of these patients to a functional life”, said Dr. Harbuzariu.
The limb preservation program is currently only available at Northside Forsyth.
