New procedure could prevent amputations

[KARE11, December 02, 2014] There's a new therapy, right here in the Twin Cities at Mercy Hospital that could prevent amputations caused by peripheral artery disease (PAD).

The procedure is helping a Minnesota man stay on his feet.

Joe Sibinski has to be on his feet all day. But two years ago, he said, "I woke up one night and my right foot was ice cold. I had a total loss of sensation. I couldn't feel anything."

He was diagnosed with PAD which is a narrowing of the arteries in his legs. Sibinski had a stent put in to improve blood flow. But after a year, scar tissue built up around the stent. He said, "It was just clogging around the area."

So this month, Sibinski had a brand new procedure at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids.