As Prescribed: UCSF surgeon says we can prevent 80% of amputations

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – For most people who lose a limb, the problem starts out small – nothing more than a sore on their foot.

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“The most common preceding factor in a major limb amputation is a foot ulcer in a patient with diabetes,” Dr. Michael Conte told KCBS Radio’s Alice Wertz on the second episode of “As Prescribed” airing during American Heart Month.

Conte is a vascular surgeon, co-director of UCSF’s Heart and Vascular Center and co-director of the Center for Limb Preservation . He believes that 80% of the 120,000 non-traumatic amputations reported in the U.S. every year are preventable.

“So, diabetes, as most people know, is a really growing problem across the entire globe” he said. “As is the increase in vascular disease. And there are a couple of factors at play here. One is just the aging of the world’s population. And the other, of course, is related to diet and activity levels.”

With more diabetes and vascular disease patients, more people are at risk for developing complications such as limb loss. Approximately 200 new patients are seen each year at the UCSF center, which approaches these complex cases with a unique, multidisciplinary approach.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , people with diabetes can develop nerve damage and have poor blood flow due to vascular issues. These can both contribute to foot ulcers that can be slow to heal, get infected and lead to limb loss.

Conte said the key factor in preventing amputation is early treatment.

“You know, our goal is not just to save a limb, but to save a limb that’s functional, that you can walk on and maintain function,” he said. “And to do that, we need to see patients at an early time before there’s too much damage to the foot so that we can reconstruct things in a way that is… a functional, weight bearing foot.”

However, there are challenges.

“Unfortunately, this problem – you know, it disproportionately affects underrepresented minorities,” said Conte. He explained that non-white Hispanic, Black and lower socioeconomic status populations are especially at risk for limb amputations. “I want to make sure that everybody understands the importance of just awareness,” Conte added.

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Listen to this week’s “As Prescribed” to learn more. You can also listen to last week’s episode on hearing loss research here .