About the Cause
Your support will benefit the life-saving work of Project Saving Legs™ at Sunnybrook, led by vascular surgeon Dr. Giuseppe Papia. This innovative initiative aims to treat Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), an under-recognized but potentially life-threatening vascular condition affecting some 800,000 Canadians, especially those with diabetes. Diagnoses often come too late to save a patient’s limb that has developed gangrene, leaving amputation as the only option. An estimated 1,600 Ontarians with diabetes lose a limb each year. With rates of diabetes steadily rising, the number of patients suffering amputations is projected to increase by 50 per cent over the next 20 years. Our vascular surgeons and scientists are taking the lead in ensuring that won’t happen, working to raise awareness of PAD and to invent and offer the most advanced treatments to eliminate amputations.
Our team performs 250 minimally invasive angioplasties each year to clear blockages and restore blood flow to patients’ legs. This treatment often results in immediate relief and patients typically return home the same day. In cases where angioplasty isn’t an option, our surgeons perform leg bypass surgery or hybrid procedures, all to restore patient lives and mobility.
Sunnybrook is also working to push the boundaries of what is possible in PAD treatment including using advanced vascular imaging for a better look inside blocked arteries. Investigating several advanced methods using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the team is working to improve treatment decisions by determining which types of plaque may be more difficult, or even impossible, to treat using guidewires, stents or balloons.
PAD leading to leg amputation is one of the most chronically under-recognized but potentially life-threatening health conditions in North America. Sunnybrook’s vascular team is already a leader in the delivery of early detection and diagnosis, aggressive wound treatment, and patient follow-up. Our team is building a database that will measure outcomes and discover the most effective treatments.
You can help us revolutionize PAD care and prevent amputation. With your support, we will help patients receive the care they need sooner and more effectively.