Preliminary Findings of Breakthrough Study Show Promising Link Between Reduced Blood Flow and Amputations
Phoenix, AZ, February 19, 2010 — Dr. Richard Jacoby, DPM, of the Scottsdale Neuropathy Institute, will present the preliminary findings of a ground breaking blood flow study to the International Congress XXIII during its annual meeting February 28 through March 4 at Scottsdale’s Phoenician Resort.
‘The Neurovascular Evaluation of the Triple Nerve Release of the Lower Extremities,’ is expected to provide a greater understanding of the impact of blood flow in diabetic neuropathy. The study is a joint collaboration with the Arizona Heart Institute (AHI), with Dr. Jacoby conducting the study and Dr. Venkatesh G. Ramaiah, MD, FACS, of the Arizona Heart Institute, evaluating the blood flow rates. This is the first formal study conducted that investigates the link between neuropathy and blood flow.
Richard P. Jacoby, DPM, is nationally recognized as one of the top podiatrists and foot & ankle surgeons in the U.S., and is one of only 350 doctors worldwide to have trained with Dr. A. Lee Dellon at the Dellon Institutes for Peripheral Nerve Surgery. He has successfully treated more than 700 diabetic patients facing lower limb amputations in the last eight years. Venkatesh G. Ramaiah, MD, FACS, is a vascular surgeon and AHI’s Director of Peripheral Vascular and Endovascular Research.
“Blood flow is the missing link to why patients are losing legs,” Jacoby said. “This study is the first step to solving the riddle of why people with diabetes end up with amputations.”
Dr. Jacoby will present the study’s preliminary results in diabetic patients to an audience of 1,000 physicians at 10 a.m., on March 2, 2010. The study’s preliminary outlook is promising, showing that recovery is dramatic for patients who undergo the Dellon Decompression triple nerve release surgical procedure. These surgical patients experience significant improvement and increased blood flow to damaged nerves, with improved sensation and reduction of pain.
About 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage. The results of such damage include impaired sensation or pain in the feet or hands. Further, almost 30 percent of people with diabetes aged 40 years or older have impaired sensation in the feet. Severe forms of diabetic nerve disease are a major contributing cause of lower-extremity amputations.
“More than 10,000 amputations are performed each month in the United States,” Dr. Ramaiah said. “This work will help to lower the amputation rate in diabetic patients.”
Studies show that diabetes-related amputations cost approximately three billion dollars per year ($38,077 per amputation procedure). With the rise of diabetes diagnoses, there is also an expected rise in the number of amputees. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the total estimated diabetes costs in the United States in 2007 was $174 billion, making diabetes one of the most costly Medicare expenses. Two-thirds of all lower extremity amputations in the United States were directly linked to diabetes. In addition, two-thirds of these amputations were paid for by the Medicare program.
The findings presented by this study will be useful to endovascular specialists (podiatrists, vascular surgeons, and neurosurgeons) who treat diabetic neuropathy. Nearly 1,000 of these physicians, allied health professionals, and industry specialists from throughout the world will descend on Scottsdale’s Phoenician Resort, located at 6000 East Camelback Road, on February 28th through March 4th for the International Congress XXIII Endovascular Interventions, hosted by the Arizona Heart Institute.
This global educational conference is lead by Congress Chairman, Dr. Edward B. Diethrich, Founder and Medical Director of Arizona Heart Institute and Arizona Heart Hospital, and world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon. See www.endovascularcongress.org for more information.
About Diabetes and Neuropathy
Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in 2006, according to the CDC. More than 23 million people, or 7.8 percent of the population, suffer from diabetes. This debilitating disease can lead to serious complications, such as blindness, kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, and lower-limb amputations.
For nearly 35 years, Scottsdale Neuropathy Institute remains one of the world’s leading providers dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetic neuropathy. The Scottsdale Neuropathy Institute offers the most contemporary and comprehensive approach to reducing the number of amputations among diabetic patients.
About Dr. Jacoby: Richard P. Jacoby, DPM, is a Scottsdale podiatrist and nationally recognized foot and ankle surgeon. As Director of the Scottsdale Neuropathy Institute and President of Valley Foot Surgeons, Ltd., he has served the Arizona community for 35 years, bringing relief to patients of all kinds, from treating ailments to the foot and ankle to surgically healing patients with pain of the lower extremity. He is one of 350 worldwide doctors trained in the Dellon Decompression surgery, which has eliminated the need of amputations for diabetic patients. He has successfully treated more than 700 diabetic patients facing lower limb amputations in the last eight years. In 2009, Dr. Jacoby was elected President of the Association of Extremity Nerve Surgeons. With a goal of reducing diabetic amputations, Dr. Jacoby has been researching and utilizing groundbreaking methods for treating patients who suffer from lower extremity nerve conditions.