An 86-year-old patient had to have his leg amputated because of clogged arteries due to atherosclerosis

Ho Chi Minh City Mr. Hoa, 86 years old, had to have the lower 1/3 of his left thigh removed due to complete blockage of the artery feeding his leg due to atherosclerosis for many years.

Doctor Do Anh Tuan, Cardiovascular Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said Mr. Hoa was admitted to the hospital with a condition of his left foot being purple and black, with a lot of pain, and difficulty walking due to lack of blood supply to the limbs. Angiogram results showed that the main artery feeding the left leg was completely blocked, with narrowing of the iliac and lower leg arteries due to atherosclerosis and blood clots. Blood flow was almost impossible to reach the left foot, causing tissue to be deprived of oxygen for a long time, progressing to necrosis.

According to Dr. Tuan, Mr. Hoa's condition is the result of atherosclerosis that has progressed over many years. He had many risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. Blood test results upon admission to the hospital recorded LDL-C 160 mg/dL, much higher than the control target for people with high cardiovascular risk.

Previously, Mr. Hoa had a coronary stent inserted due to coronary artery disease. Dr. Tuan assessed that this showed that atherosclerosis affects many vascular systems in the body.

His leg had necrosis that could no longer be preserved, so Mr. Hoa had amputation surgery to remove the lower 1/3 of his left thigh. After two weeks of surgery, his health stabilized and he was discharged from the hospital.

Master and Doctor Doan Vinh Binh, Medical Information Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said blood lipid disorders are common but are easily overlooked because they do not cause symptoms for a long time. High LDL-C silently deposits in the artery walls, triggering an inflammatory response, forming atherosclerotic plaques. Cholesterol accumulates for a long time, atherosclerotic plaques will grow, narrowing the arteries, reducing blood flow to the heart, brain, kidneys, and limbs, causing myocardial infarction and stroke.

Doctor Binh advises that when detecting high blood fat, even at a mild level, the patient should comply with advice and treatment instructions. Proactively adjust your diet, increase exercise, control your weight, quit smoking, and control comorbidities if any such as hypertension and diabetes. Supplementing natural essences such as GDL-5 (Policosanol) from South American sugarcane pollen can help control blood fat and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Patients need regular follow-up examinations to monitor treatment effectiveness and control blood fat.

Dinh Dieu

*Patient's name has been changed