Peripheral arterial and venous disease, including PAD, DVT, acute limb ischaemia and diabetic foot
Peripheral vascular diseases
Poor circulation in the legs and feet, from narrowed or blocked arteries, blood clots, or diabetic wounds. Assessed with scans and treated to protect the limb.
What is happening inside your body
Your legs depend on arteries carrying fresh blood down and veins carrying it back up. When arteries slowly narrow, walking causes cramping pain (peripheral artery disease). When an artery blocks suddenly, usually by a clot, the limb can lose its blood supply within hours (acute limb ischaemia), which is an emergency. When a vein clots, the leg becomes swollen and painful (deep vein thrombosis). Diabetes can damage feeling and blood flow together, letting a small foot wound turn serious without warning. Each of these is different, but all of them affect how well blood reaches or drains from the leg, and all are seen and treated by Dr. Sajjad.
Poor circulation in the legs and feet takes several forms, from slow narrowing to sudden blockage to diabetic wounds. Dr. Sajjad assesses each case with scans and treats it to protect the limb.
Signs to look out for
- Cramp or ache in the calf or thigh after walking a set distance, easing with rest
- A leg that suddenly turns cold, pale and severely painful, this needs same hour hospital care
- One leg swelling, warm and painful over hours or a day or two
- A foot or toe wound that is not healing, especially with diabetes
- Cold feet, or one foot colder than the other, with weak or absent pulses
- Numbness, tingling or loss of feeling in the feet
How it is treated
Treatment depends on which of these is found. Narrowed arteries often improve with medicine, stopping smoking and a walking programme, and can be opened with a balloon and stent, or bypassed with a graft when the blockage is too long. A sudden, completely blocked limb is treated as an emergency the moment you arrive, with urgent surgery or clot-dissolving medicine. A clotted vein is treated with blood-thinning medicine. A diabetic foot wound is treated by restoring blood supply where needed, alongside wound care and infection control, to save as much of the foot as possible. Dr. Sajjad examines the limb and uses scans, usually an ultrasound, to decide the right path for your case.
What recovery looks like
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Angioplasty and stenting: often a day case or short stay, with a small puncture rather than a large cut.
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Bypass surgery: a longer hospital stay while the leg and graft are monitored, with swelling settling over the following weeks.
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Blood clots: medicine started promptly, with gentle walking usually encouraged and support stockings advised.
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Diabetic wounds: healing takes weeks with regular checks, some of which can be done by evening video call for patients from outside Peshawar.
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Ongoing: medicine, a walking routine, and managing diabetes, blood pressure and smoking all protect the result.
Common questions
How do I know which of these problems I have?
The signs overlap, so it is not something to guess at home. Dr. Sajjad examines the limb and usually arranges an ultrasound or other scan to see exactly what is happening and plan the right treatment.
Is a sudden cold, painful leg or arm an emergency?
Yes. This is called acute limb ischaemia and it is one of the true emergencies in vascular surgery. Go to the hospital the same hour, do not wait for a clinic appointment, as tissue can be damaged within hours.
Can a foot be saved once a diabetic wound has set in?
Many feet can be saved, especially when the wound is seen early and the blood supply is checked and restored where needed. Dr. Sajjad will be honest with you about what is possible in your case.
Is angioplasty a big operation, and is bypass surgery riskier?
Angioplasty is usually done through a small puncture in the skin, and many patients go home the same day or after a short stay. A bypass is a bigger operation, used when the blockage is too long for a balloon and stent, and carries more risk, which Dr. Sajjad will discuss with you and your family beforehand.
This page is for general information only and does not replace a proper medical examination.