Amputation Archives - ACI MedicalACI Medical

Don’t wait around for insurance to save your leg! – Mark H. in Brattle Boro, VT

Mark has been using the ArtAssist® device for almost 15 years! We are also glad to report that his device has saved his left leg from amputation not once, but twice.

Here is Mark’s letter to us:

“Out of many therapies I tried to heal my ulcer, the ArtAssist device was clearly the most effective. Other treatments generally require a certain amount of circulation to the ulcer, while the ArtAssist device addresses the underlying problem by restoring the blood flow necessary for healing.
I quickly started renting the ArtAssist device and then worried about insurance. If I had waited for insurance approval, I’m convinced I would have lost my leg below the knee – a tremendous expense which they WOULD pay for!”
– Mark H., Brattle Boro, VT

We’re with you on the insurance issue, Mark! For years, ACI Medical has been working to get the ArtAssist® device reimbursed by Medicare and other health insurance providers as a treatment that’s WAY less expensive than amputation.

Clinical studies (including a randomized controlled trial) show that ArtAssist® device therapy is 86%-94% effective at preventing the amputation of limbs that are critically ischemic. This is because the ArtAssist® device was specifically designed to increase arterial blood flow to the lower extremities, providing the nutrients and oxygen necessary to promote healing.

The ArtAssist® device is especially useful for patients who, for some reason, cannot have bypass surgery to restore blood flow.

It is recommended that doctors prescribe ArtAssist® device therapy for their patients 1 hour TID for 90 days and send it along with their patients’ contact information to ACI Medical, where they can also talk to experts on Arterial Pump Technology:

Fax: (760) 744-4401
Email: info@acimedical.com
Toll Free: (888) 453-4356

Aug 25, 2012 By acimedical ArtAssist®...The Arterial Assist Device®

Hope in the Face of Amputation: Mary Tells Her Mother’s ArtAssist® Device Story

Diana’s note: I’ve been digging around on the server lately for material I could use to add to this website. I came across two wonderful stories of patients whose lives were regained because they underwent ArtAssist® Device therapy. These people wished for their testimonials to be shared with others with the hope that anyone suffering from severe PAD would know that there’s one more hope before amputation.

Mary’s mother had run out of options and was on her way toward amputation when doctors suggested the ArtAssist® Device. Here is Mary’s letter to ACI Medical on behalf of her mother (identifying information has been omitted, but it is otherwise unabridged):

November 7, 2006
ACI Medical
1857 Diamond Street
San Marcos, CA 92078-5129

To Whom It May Concern:

A little over three months ago, my mother was an active and independent 83 year-old woman, who lived alone, drove a car and took walks around the block. She began to have a very cold foot, trouble walking and developed pain and ulcers on her left foot and ankle. (She experienced pain just putting a sock on her left foot). She became unable to take her walks, in fact, she would call us because she also experienced intermittent extreme pain and could not move from one room to the next without assistance.

She was diagnosed with peripheral vascular occlusive disease. Several tests and visits to specialists indicated my mother was not a candidate for bypass surgery. Amputation was discussed, which would have been necessary if she developed gangrene. In an effort to avoid amputation, the doctors suggested she take the prescriptions Plavex and Pletal and use the ARTERIAL ASSIST DEVICE.

My mother used the ARTERIAL ASSIST DEVICE along with the Plavex and Pletal for a three-month period. I am happy to report to you that my mother is again an active and independent 83 year-old woman who is taking walks around the block! Thank you to the inventors of the ARTERIAL ASSIST DEVICE!

I am writing this letter so that someone out there who may be as severe as my mother was would ask their doctor about trying this device in an effort to avoid amputation or surgery. Sometimes there is hope when you think hope doesn’t exist.

Sincerely,
Mary H., Southgate, MI

Next week, you’ll read about a patient whose left leg has been saved not once, but twice thanks to ArtAssist® Arterial Pump Technology!

Aug 18, 2012 By acimedical ArtAssist®...The Arterial Assist Device®, PAD

The ArtAssist® device presented by Dr. Sherif Sultan of the Western Vascular Institute

Dr. Sultan is a consultant vascular and endovascular surgeon who has been studying the ArtAssist® device in a clinical setting at his practice in Galway, Ireland.

An excerpt from his presentation at the 2009 Veith Symposium in New York (note that this is before the final results of this ongoing study were released):

Art-Assist SCBD is a valuable tool in the armamentarium for dealing with CLI patients with un-reconstructable PVD. It gives superior limb salvage, ameliorates amputation free survival, enhances ulcer healing rates, reduces length of hospital stay and provides rapid relief of rest pain without any intervention in patients with limited life expectancy.

http://www.veithsymposium.org/pdf/vei/2852.pdf

On a related note, Dr. Sultan’s website features a short video about the ArtAssist® device.

For those in Ireland, the ArtAssist® device is distributed by Deprimo, Ltd. (http://deprimo.ie/)

Aug 16, 2012 By acimedical ArtAssist®...The Arterial Assist Device®, PAD

Is funding cut a false saving? – The Irish Times – Tue, Jul 24, 2012

A home device that increases arterial blood flow to the leg can help save patients’ limbs – and taxpayers’ money – so why is it no longer paid for by some HSEs, asks MICHELLE MCDONAGH

EIGHTY SEVEN-year-old Bridget O’Malley has managed to stay in her own home and avoid having a second leg amputated through the use of a cost-effective, non-invasive home device which increases arterial blood flow to the leg. However, she is the only patient in Mayo still receiving HSE funding for the ArtAssist device and one of very few in the country due to funding cuts.

Read the rest via Is funding cut a false saving? – The Irish Times – Tue, Jul 24, 2012.

ArtAssist®…The Arterial Assist Device®

Diana’s note: Yep, that’s our ArtAssist® device! As you read the article further, you’ll see another story like Mrs. O’Malley’s, except that Mr. Conneely does not receive financial assistance for his device – he must pay out-of-pocket for it. Stateside, at ACI Medical, we’ve likewise been fighting for Medicare to reimburse for the ArtAssist® device because, as Dr. Sultan states in this article, having a patient on a device instead of undergoing a costly amputation really is “a no-brainer”.

Jul 24, 2012 By acimedical ArtAssist®...The Arterial Assist Device®

The Gift of Limb Salvage: Claire’s Experience with the ArtAssist® Device

“Try it! What do you have to lose except your leg! It’s worth it and there’s absolutely no pain!” – Claire T., Tucson, AZ

ArtAssist®…The Arterial Assist Device®

As I may have mentioned before, knowing that our product changed someone’s life for the better makes all of our work WORTH IT. Claire’s life as she knew it was about to take a turn for the worse, so when her doctors recommended she try the ArtAssist® Arterial Assist Device®, she jumped at the chance.

Claire and her daughter co-wrote our staff a wonderful letter, chronicling her entire experience:

Dear Don and Sylvia,
I am helping to write this letter with my mom (Claire T. / Tucson, Arizona) to give you a little documentation how the ArtAssistDevice has helped to save her leg. Here is the time sequence:

My mom had a cadaver artery put in her right leg in order to possibly save her leg. (Advanced PAD disease). This was in March of 2011.

In early August, the cadaver artery stopped working because the smaller arteries in my mom’s feet became too narrow. No more surgery could be done. She goes on Vicodin for the pain.

Later part of August 2011, Dr. Luis L mentioned that if he could get the device, would she be willing to try it in order to save her leg. She said “YES!”

Device arrives on September 6, 2011 and she immediately uses it for 1 hour /3 times a day / 7 days a week. A lot of pain in her right leg. She is sleeping very little because of pain by the end of the second week, there is remarkable improvement. She can walk without pain in her leg for short distances and sleeps for about 4 hours before the pain returns. By the first part of October, she starts to use the device for 4 times a day. We travel to Phoenix for her grandson’s wedding and she is able to attend! Pain in the leg has diminished quite a bit but there is still tingling in the foot and toes.

By December, she gets off of pain pills and only takes Tylenol.

By the first part of January, the tingling in her toes is gone. She drops the times using the device to 3 times a day.

By February, she is walking for about ½ mile every day for about 20 minutes.

In March, the Doppler from Dr. Michael L shows her blood flow in that leg has increased quite a bit. She cuts back on the number of times per day to 1 or 2.

In late March, she develops a small but deep ulcer on her toe on her right foot. It becomes infected. (Sorry No Pictures. It was too small to show up on my camera) Dr. L is concerned that he might have to amputate it. He tells her to use the machine. She goes back to using it 1 hour 3 times per day. The toe within 2 weeks has improved dramatically so amputation is not discussed any more.

In mid June, she has another Doppler. It shows more collaterals being made and something was said that an artery that was previously blocked is no longer and he could use it in a bypass if he had to! The ulcer still has a scab but no longer hurts her.

She is currently using the machine for 1 hour/ 3 times per day. She is able to walk ½ mile daily with minimal pain. The pain comes in her calf but only lasts for 1 or 2 minutes and then she starts walking again.

If it wasn’t for your machine, the doctors have said she would have lost her leg. We believe this. We have seen it. It is a wonderful gift.

Thank you also for the wonderful customer service. You were always such a big help.

Sincerely,
Claire T.
Evelyn F.

Big thanks to Claire and her daughter for sharing their uplifting story with us!

Claire T. has given this information freely and has been made aware of her rights to the content she has provided via written consent.

Jun 27, 2012 By acimedical ArtAssist®...The Arterial Assist Device®

Diabetic Foot Ulcers: cost realities

Hey, everyone! I recently discovered an excellent site called diabetesfootulcer.com. It is absolutely PACKED with great information about diabetic foot ulcers. If the producer of this website was aiming for a thorough and well-done look at DFU’s, I’d say they achieved it.

Since I’m always looking for cost references, I was so excited by the information I found here. For example, did you know that the annual cost of healing just ONE ulcer with conventional care is $56,516? CRAZY.

Also, I learned that 2/3 or diabetes-related amputations are actually paid for by Medicare. And the cost of a major amputation? $45,000 according to the research on this website.

ACI Medical rents the ArtAssist® device at $1200/3 months to Veteran’s Administrations around the country, at no cost to our veterans. The alternative is 37.5 times more expensive. Our government has enough money troubles, wouldn’t you say?

via Diabetic Foot Ulcers: cost realities.

How was this possible? Learn more by clicking the healed foot:

Apr 19, 2012 By acimedical Health

President Barack Obama Recognizes April 2012 as Limb Loss Awareness Month

On Monday, April 2, The White House released a letter from President Barack Obama recognizing April 2012 as Limb Loss Awareness Month.

“As a nation, we must remain committed to ensuring that those living with limb loss have the support they need to reach their greatest potential,” wrote President Obama. “We must also provide those at risk with information that can help prevent this condition. Greater public knowledge of the causes and warning signs is essential to decreasing the rates of preventable limb loss,” the letter continued, “and by working with the limb loss community, we can help reduce new cases.”

via Amputee Coalition – President Barack Obama Recognizes April 2012 as Limb Loss Awareness Month.

Apr 4, 2012 By acimedical Health

More research into the cost of lower-limb amputation

Recently, while summarizing key studies for a history and literature review that I’m working on, I was reminded that this particular study (the abstract is below) also included comparative costs.

In this case, you will see that although SCBD (in other words, ArtAssist®) therapy doesn’t exactly come cheap, it’s still less than half the average cost of a primary amputation.

Want to hear even better news? This study yielded an 88% limb salvage rate, even after 18 months. Fancy that.

Edit: A 3-month rental of the ArtAssist® device in the United States is more than 36 times less expensive than the cost of primary amputation per patient, according to the following study. And even if you take the SCBD patient cost (below), it still sounds like a better deal to me.

Nonoperative Active Management of Critical Limb Ischemia: Initial Experience Using a Sequential Compression Biomechanical Device for Limb Salvage

Sherif Sultan; Olubunmi Esan; Anne Fahy

Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Western Vascular Institute, University College Hospital Galway, Galway, Ireland

Vascular 2008;163:130-139

Critical limb ischemia CLI patients are at high risk of primary amputation. Using a sequential compression biomechanical device SCBD represents a nonoperative option in threatened limbs. We aimed to determine the outcome of using SCBD in amputation-bound nonreconstructable CLI patients regarding limb salvage and 90-day mortality.

Thirty-five patients with 39 critically ischemic limbs rest pain = 12, tissue loss = 27 presented over 24 months. Thirty patients had nonreconstructable arterial outflow vessels, and five were inoperable owing to severe comorbidity scores. All were Rutherford classification 4 or 5 with multilevel disease. All underwent a 12-week treatment protocol and received the best medical treatment.

The mean follow-up was 10 months SD ± 6 months. There were four amputations, with an 18-month cumulative limb salvage rate of 88% standard error [SE] ± 7.62%. Ninety-day mortality was zero. Mean toe pressures increased from 38.2 to 67 mmHg SD ± 33.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 55 – 79. Popliteal artery flow velocity increased from 45 to 47.9 cm/s 95% CI 35.9 – 59.7. Cumulative survival at 12 months was 81.2% SE ± 11.1 for SCBD, compared with 69.2% in the control group SE ± 12.8% p = .4, hazards ratio = 0.58, 95% CI 0.15 – 2.32. The mean total cost of primary amputation per patient is €29,815 ($44,000) in comparison with €13,9000 ($20,515) for SCBD patients.

SCBD enhances limb salvage and reduces length of hospital stay, nonoperatively, in patients with nonreconstructable vessels.

via ACI Medical – ArtAssist® Device.

Mar 14, 2012 By acimedical ACI Medical, Health