Limb Preservation Center

Advanced Care for Amputation Prevention

UMass Memorial Health is home to the only comprehensive Limb Preservation Center in Central Massachusetts. Our team of vascular surgeons, podiatrists and other wound care specialists treat people at high risk for foot and leg amputation, particularly those with diabetes and peripheral artery disease.

What Is Critical Limb Ischemia? 

Critical limb ischemia is an advanced stage of peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD develops when arteries that supply blood to your arms and legs narrow due to plaque buildup. Significantly reduced circulation in your lower limbs can lead to infection, tissue death, wounds or ulcers that don’t heal, and possibly amputation. 

Factors that increase your risk for PAD and critical limb-threatening ischemia include:

• Coronary artery disease
• Diabetes 
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Kidney disease
• Smoking

A Multispecialty Approach to Prevent Leg or Foot Amputation

Our Limb Preservation Center gives you timely access to vascular surgeons and wound care specialists in one place. Because foot and leg ulcers are the most common reasons for amputation, the team works together to heal complex wounds, prevent recurrence, improve mobility and avoid limb amputation. 

Services at our Limb Preservation Center include: 

• Advanced diagnostics: Our vascular lab offers testing to evaluate blood flow through your limbs. We may recommend a vascular ultrasound, angiogram, CT scan or MRI. 
• Wound healing: Our experts use specialized dressings, antibiotics, debridement, or hyperbaric oxygen therapy to prevent infection, reduce pain, and help wounds heal. 
• Disease management: Endocrinologists and other providers help you manage other conditions that impact blood flow, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. 
• Vascular surgery: We offer a range of open and endovascular limb salvage procedures to restore blood flow in your legs and feet (revascularization). 

Limb Salvage Procedures 

People with severe blood vessel blockages in their lower limbs may need an endovascular or surgical procedure to prevent foot or leg amputation. At UMass Memorial, our vascular surgeons are experts in both open and minimally invasive techniques so we can pick the best treatment for your needs. 

Peripheral Angioplasty and Stenting: 

Peripheral angioplasty and stenting are two ways to widen a blocked artery. Often performed at the same time, we may recommend these procedures for people who can’t have open surgery due to illness or advanced age. A vascular surgeon:

• Inserts a catheter containing thin wires through a small cut in your upper leg
• Threads the wires down to the blockage
• Inflates a balloon to widen the blood vessel
• Fastens a stent (mesh tube) inside the blood vessel to hold it open

Peripheral Artery Bypass Surgery

Peripheral artery bypass is surgery to reroute blood flow around a blocked artery. Although bypass is more involved than angioplasty and stenting, it offers longer-lasting results and may be better for people with large blockages. A vascular surgeon: 

• Makes an incision near the blockage
• Sews veins from another part of your body (grafts) above and below the blockage 
• Ensures blood flows around the bypassed artery