Monitoring PAD
Here we are in September, the summer is unofficially kaput, well the official end will be next week. Weekends at the Jersey shore are basically over, there is no more " Orr at the Shore" spots on the local news and weather report. Actually the news van followed me all the way down the expressway on one of my trips this year. No more walking the boards for this year.
What I am getting at here, besides depressing everyone, is September is " Legs for Life" month. We all know about the Legs for Life program, or at least I hope we know. Legs for Life is a program piloted and launched by the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), back in the end of the 1990's. The purpose of the program is to educate and make people aware of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
New this year is a quiz developed to help people assess their risk of PAD. I sure hope this will create more awareness among the public. The quiz focuses on your cardiac situation and other contributing factors such as diabetes, I fell under both categories, so I will watch out for any signs in my own legs.
During the screening week volunteers will hold one or two day screenings at locations all over the country. Simply they will measure ankle brachial index (ABI) and take it from there. Some places will offer ultrasound exams to look for hidden abdominal aortic aneurysms. It is all good, so I hope there are a lot of places that register as sights and a lot of people take advantage of this great opportunity. To find a location, go to the SIR Doctor Finder and enjoy your walk.