Limb Preservation Services

At UPMC, our multidisciplinary team specializes in caring for nonhealing wounds. Diabetic wounds — often the most difficult to heal — result in more than 80,000 amputations in the United States each year.

UPMC’s vascular surgeons specialize in limb salvage and limb reattachment procedures. Amputation is a last resort. We can help most people successfully avoid it with limb-sparing surgery.

What Are Limb Preservation Services?

At UPMC, we treat and manage wounds based on the guidelines established by the Wound Healing Society and the Society for Vascular Surgery.

No matter how simple or challenging the wound, our patients receive the most advanced treatments available. They also have access to:

• An evaluation by a vascular surgeon with expertise in the healing of complex wounds.
• An on-site nurse practitioner trained in wound care.
• A treatment plan designed to first heal and then prevent wounds from recurring.
• The latest minimally invasive interventions to treat arterial and venous diseases.
• Expert care from different specialties at UPMC.
• Promising clinical trials for leading-edge medical and interventional wound healing therapies.

We offer a telemedicine treatment approach for qualified homebound patients. This state-of-the-art digital monitoring technology brings our wound-healing expertise right to your home.

What conditions do you treat?

We treat all types of nonhealing wounds caused by cardiovascular conditions including:

• Arterial insufficiency.
• Diabetic arterial disease.
• Peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
• Venous hypertension and pressure.

Left untreated, these conditions can require amputation.

Who’s eligible for limb preservation services?

You may be eligible for limb preservation services if you have a nonhealing wound.

What Limb Preservation Services Do You Offer?

Our specialists use evidence-based techniques to treat nonhealing wounds, including:

Nonsurgical care

Our team uses nonsurgical treatment methods to promote healing, including:

• Compression therapy — Stockings or Unna boots offset the pressure in the veins in the legs and allow venous ulcer wounds to heal.
• Transparent dressings — A clear, plastic-like film is applied over the wound, and a compression stocking protects the wound bed.
• Hydrocolloid dressings — Dressings applied over ulcers promote healing and may help remove nonliving tissue from the wound (debridement).
• Growth factors — Medicines applied to the wound may help promote healing.
• Vacuum-assisted closure — Continuous suction to the wound bed may promote healing.
• Systemic hyperbaric oxygen therapy — This treatment involves breathing pure oxygen in a special chamber to promote wound healing.

Minimally invasive procedures for limb preservation

When nonhealing wounds develop, your UPMC vascular surgeon may recommend minimally invasive interventions to restore blood circulation. During a minimally invasive procedure, your vascular surgeon will:

• Insert a long flexible tube called a catheter into a blood vessel in your leg through a tiny incision.
• Guide the catheter to the site of the blockage.
• Use different devices, such as angioplasty balloons and stents, to open blocked arteries and keep them open.

Surgical limb preservation treatment

If your vascular surgeon cannot perform a minimally invasive procedure, he or she may recommend a surgical procedure, including:

• Leg bypass surgery — Your vascular surgeon makes an incision in your leg near the blocked artery. Using a part of one of your veins or a synthetic blood vessel, your surgeon will attach one end to the artery above the blockage and the other end below the blockage. This allows blood to bypass the blockage.
• Wound debridement — Minor surgery can remove any nonliving tissue around the wound.

What Can I Expect From Limb Preservation Services?

Our team includes vascular surgeons, wound care experts, and other medical specialists. They will create a comprehensive plan to manage your nonhealing wound and reduce your risk of amputation.

Before your visit

To prepare for your visit, you will be asked to provide:

• Name, address, and contact phone number.
• Insurance information.
• Relevant medical records and test results.
• A referral, if required by your health insurance company.

If you get a referral from your primary care doctor or another physician, they may be able to provide your test results and medical records to our team.

During your visit

When you arrive for your first appointment, you'll meet with a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. He or she will ask about your medical history and examine your nonhealing wound.

We'll give you:

• A complete explanation of proper wound care and treatments.
• A tailored patient education packet for you to take home.

Your vascular surgery expert will explain your treatment options based on how long you've had your wound, your condition, and your health history.

Together, you will design and agree on a care plan.

Your care team may also:

• Order tests to learn more about your nonhealing wound.
• Schedule a procedure in the office or the hospital to care for your wound.
• Provide in-office care, such as changing your wound dressing.

After your treatment

Our team will schedule follow-up appointments to check how your treatment is working. You should contact our office if:

• You have questions about your treatment plan or medications.
• Your symptoms get worse or do not improve as expected.
• You have any other concerns about your condition.

By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2024-10-01.