You don't have to go to a large city to find doctors who are recognized leaders in treating peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Specialists at Manatee Memorial Hospital have been at the forefront of treating PVD -- a condition that narrows or blocks blood vessels in the legs, arms and various internal organs -- for many years.

"We're tackling PVD in ways that rival the work done at major medical centers," says Gino Sedillo, MD, FACC, an interventional cardiologist and Medical Director of the Catheterization Laboratories at Manatee Memorial. "We teach other doctors how to perform innovative procedures to treat PVD. We're also involved in landmark studies on new PVD treatments."

Sharing Our Expertise
More than 50 doctors in the community, throughout Florida and across the country have come to Manatee Memorial for training in advanced treatments for PVD. Many of them choose Manatee Memorial because Dr. Sedillo and his team have a great deal of experience and success using minimally invasive techniques and tools.

During monthly training sessions, Dr. Sedillo teaches cardiologists, interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons how to open blocked vessels with a variety of devices, including:

• Laser catheters -- These devices vaporize plaque and restore blood flow.
• Balloon catheters -- Doctors inflate a balloon to widen a blocked or narrowed artery.
• Stents -- Dr. Sedillo demonstrates the use of both flexible and rigid mesh tubes, called stents, that help hold arteries open.
• The FoxHollow SilverHawk^TM Plaque Excision System -- Tiny blades shave the plaque from the vessel walls and a cylinder collects the plaque. It is the only technique that actually removes plaque from the body.
• Cryo-balloon angioplasty -- Dr. Sedillo uses a balloon catheter filled with nitrogen gas to freeze the arteries in the upper leg. This technique helps prevent scarring and a renarrowing -- or restenosis -- of the vessels.

Tomorrow's Treatments Today
Dr. Sedillo participates in major studies at Manatee Memorial assessing the safety and effectiveness of new PVD treatments. For example, Manatee Memorial was one of only 14 sites worldwide where researchers studied the use of the excimer laser in patients whose PVD was so advanced that they faced amputation. The researchers found the laser helped save limbs in about 90 percent of patients. Manatee Memorial had the second highest enrollment in the study.

At Manatee Memorial, Dr. Sedillo was also involved in a study of carotid stenting in patients who were at high risk for open carotid surgery. Data showed the outcomes of patients who had carotid stenting procedures were slightly better than those who had open surgery.

Gino Sedillo, MD, FACC Bradenton Cardiology Center 316 Manatee Ave. West Bradenton, FL 34205 941-748-2277

Currently, Dr. Sedillo is part of a study looking at whether cryo-balloon angioplasty helps prevent restenosis in patients whose vessels are blocked below the knee.

"We're doing everything we can to stay in the forefront of technology," says Dr. Sedillo, a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology who is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. "We want to make sure more patients have access to minimally invasive techniques that can help save their limbs -- and their lives."

Look for These Signs of PVD
While PVD can strike the arms and organs such as the kidneys and intestines, it most often occurs in the legs. Here are some symptoms of the condition:

• Pain in the legs, hips or buttocks when you exercise. The pain typically stops when you rest. Eventually, you may feel pain when you're not exercising.
• Tingling or numbness in your toes, feet or legs.
• Infections or sores that don't heal.
• Cool skin temperature.
• Pale or blue skin tone.