Vascular Society of India: Committed to an Amputation-Free India
The Vascular Society of India was formed on August 6th 1994 with the aim of treating patients with disorders of the blood vessels in the body. As a society, we understand the importance of creating awareness on vascular health to prevent serious complications like amputations of limbs.
Vascular surgeons treat disorders related to blood vessels in the whole body, except those of the heart and brain. These disorders include peripheral arterial disease, aneurysm, carotid artery stenosis, complicated arterio-venous fistulas, arterio-venous malformation, deep vein thrombosis, varicose veins. Patients at risk of most of these disorders include those who are elderly, diabetics, hypertensives, smokers, chronic kidney disease.
Creating awareness to the public that these conditions are risk factors for vascular diseases is our aim. Educating them as well on how these diseases can aggravate vascular disease and how to prevent them will ensure that the awareness created is meaningful.
One of the endeavors by the Vascular Society of India is to create an Amputation free India and an Amputation Free World. With the motto of Save a limb, Save a life, we as Vascular surgeons wish to create awareness on all the causes and aggravating factors that can lead to amputation.
India is the Diabetic Capital of the world and upto 80% of amputation of diabetic patients is preventable. In India, every year ~1lakh population with diabetes lose their limb to amputation. Every 20seconds, a diabetic loses a limb. The numbers are staggering when the disease itself is preventable and manageable if identified early.
Smokers as young as 18years of age have lost their limb to amputation. The worst part of losing a limb at such a young age is the tragic burden that they have to carry for the rest of their lives, and affecting the future of the family as well.
Amputation can be prevented by controlling the risk factors of peripheral vascular disease – smoking, diabetes, hypertension. If patients with PVD symptoms are detected early on, they can be given medical management. With further progress of the disease, investigations and intervention is indicated. If not managed at the right time, patients with peripheral vascular disease will develop non-healing wounds or ulcers, followed by gangrene of the leg, which may then require an amputation.
Vascular surgeons stand between patients and amputation, but the sad reality is that most patients reach us at a very late stage when nothing more can be offered. We hope that by this awareness programme, people and patients become more self conscious of their vascular health and approach vascular surgeons at the right time.
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