Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital has announced the launch of the Orlando Health system’s first comprehensive limb preservation program. Through this new program, patients at risk for limb loss will receive care from a multidisciplinary team to prevent a life changing emergency.
According to the Amputee Coalition, more than 5.6 million people live with limb loss or limb difference in the United States. The organization says 40 percent of all people who lose limbs have vascular disease and 57 percent have a preceding diagnosis of diabetes.
Patients who are experiencing peripheral artery disease (PAD), peripheral vascular disease (PVD), or critical limb threatening ischemia (CLTI) would be eligible to take part in the program at Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital.
“We know this is a population where we can make a difference by providing wrap around preventative care,” said Alicia Howe, associate chief operating officer of Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital. “By effectively managing the underlying condition, we hope to increase the opportunity for successful patient outcomes and reduce amputation rates.”
To monitor these complex conditions, the limb preservation program will offer access to a team of highly trained experts through in-person consultations and visits. The physicians providing care for these patients will include specialists from the Orlando Health Heart & Vascular Institute, podiatry, internal medicine, wound care and infectious disease.
“As a vascular surgeon and specialist in limb salvage, I am excited to lead this multidisciplinary endeavor committed to limb preservation,” said Orlando Health Heart & Vascular Institute vascular surgeon Kevin Claudeanos, MD. “This program is truly a unique and novel approach to limb salvage that will proudly serve the Orlando area.”
In addition to education and disease management, Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital will also support acute care needs and access rehabilitation services. Each care plan will be tailored to the patient’s unique needs, which means the team will utilize a range of treatments and therapies.
Patients may inquire about joining the limb preservation program by contacting Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital at 407-539-2100 or sending an email to R-OHLimbPreservationProgram@
