Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a condition that narrows or blocks a person’s arteries, often due to the buildup of plaque, causing pain and weakness in a person’s limbs. It is estimated that, in the UK, 3,000 amputations take place each year due to PAD. It is one of the main causes of preventable amputations, alongside diabetes and chronic limb threatening ischemia (CLTI).

Abbott, a company that create and sell technologies to treat cardiac and vascular disease, have launched the AmpuNATION campaign, with the aim of raise awareness of PAD and other diseases and conditions that can lead to amputations. As part of the campaign, they have worked with the iconic photographer, Rankin, to produce a series of portraits of people who are living with amputations. Their powerful message is that, whilst amputations might be hard to look at, they are much harder to live with.

The campaign highlights the stories of those that have suffered amputations that could have been prevented. One of these stories is Michael Edwards, a 58-year-old man from London whose health issues began after his medications were stopped before a full cardiovascular assessment was performed, eventually leading to complications that resulted in a below the knee amputation.

AmpuNATION also highlights that there is a lack of a clear pathway in treating PAD and CLTI, and that this often leads to inconsistencies in outcomes. The campaign is pushing for new innovations, and access to them, so that amputation rates can reduce.

Our Clinical Negligence Department have extensive experience with avoidable amputations, such as due critical limb threatening ischaemia, cancer, diabetes and sepsis and we see too often how patients are being let down by medical professionals and are left to deal with the catastrophic consequences for the rest of their lives. It is vital that medical professionals are held to account and that lessons are learnt. We pride ourselves in striving for justice and answers for those who have suffered avoidable amputations and ensuring that they have access to the best quality prosthetics and therapies so that they can live well with their amputations.

If you or a loved one has undergone an amputation due to surgical negligence, a delay in diagnosis or treatment, or circumstances that you feel require further investigation, contact us on 01482 323697 to discuss how we can help.