Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), which is sometimes referred to as peripheral arterial occlusive disease, occurs when there is a buildup of plaque in the arterial walls of the legs, feet or toes.
Oftentimes, in the early stages of PAD, patients will present with atypical symptoms, or be asymptomatic. Many studies have shown that the prevalence of asymptomatic PAD is well over 50%
Some of the most frequent Symptoms of PAD
Intermittent Claudication
Patients that complain of pain while walking may be experiencing the first signs of peripheral artery disease
Resting Leg Pain
As PAD progresses, patients may experience pain even while at rest, sometimes disturbing sleep
Atherosclerosis
Plaque buildup in the walls of other arteries may mean they are experiencing atherosclerosis in the lower extremities as well
Embolism and Thrombosis
If a patient is experiencing blood clots in the veins, or other blockages that are stuck in vessels too small to let it pass, it may make sense to test for PAD
Ulceration
As PAD progresses, lower extremity wounds may be slow to heal, due to the lack of oxygenated blood being delivered to the lower extremity
Gangrene
If a slow-healing lower extremity ulcer gets infected, it may progress to gangrene, oftentimes leading to amputation
have PAD
Get more info on PAD symptoms from Biomedix®
Biomedix offers a wide range of tools and services to help you identify patients in need of PAD testing, they include:
- Patient questionnaires
- PAD posters
- Chart Review services
- Super Bill
- PADnet® scheduling form
These are designed to optimize your patient outcomes, while supporting reimbursement.