My Last Leg
A documentary that explores why so many patients fail in the fight to save their lives and limbs.
My Last Leg
A documentary that explores why so many patients fail in the fight to save their lives and limbs.
Film Overview
Peripheral artery disease is an under diagnosed epidemic in this country and its most severe form, critical limb ischemia, kills more people each year than many cancers. 50% of these patients die within 5 years and 85% of these amputations can be avoided. This does not need to be the case. Awareness and a multi-disciplinary team approach can save these lives and limbs.
Video
Check out My Last Leg Promo Video
Episode 1: An Epidemic
Unhealthy local cuisines, cheap processed foods, and lifestyle choices are making diabetes and PAD more prevalent. Many diabetics develop peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and critical limb ischemia (CLI). Once blood flow can’t be restored to the leg or foot, amputation is often required. However, 60% percent of amputations are performed without patients receiving a proper screening or without understanding what treatment options currently exist. What kind of treatment a patient receives is largely based on who they are referred to and what socioeconomic population group they belong to.
Episode 2: Endovascular Revolution
For years PAD & CLI have been under appreciated. Traditionally, vascular surgeons treated this disease with bypass surgery or amputation. However, new minimally-invasive technologies have emerged such as balloons, stents, lasers, and atherectomies. These technologies can now make the impossible, possible. However, there remains a shortage of qualified physicians to treat this exploding population.
Episode 3: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach
How patients are treated for CLI is a flip of a coin and is dependent on who they are referred to. Lack of awareness by referring physicians and fewer options for poorer communities all play their parts. The true solution may be in building programs where many specialties work together in managing these patients and their very intricate care.
Episode 4: We Can Do Better
We can save lives and limbs, but why aren’t we? We can do better. A lack of awareness, in-fighting, reimbursement issues all contribute. Working together, we can solve this and patients should never have to accept an amputation as a frontline therapy.
Contact Us
mylastleg.org
This website uses cookies.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.