Peripheral Arterial Disease Revisited........Nicolas W. Shammas, MD, MS 

The information below can be found in our recently published book on Peripheral Arterial Disease, "Saving Legs, Saving Lives....Peripheral Vascular Disease Made Simple" .

Describe the peripheral arteries?

The heart pumps blood into a series of blood vessels or “tubes’ that we call arteries. These vessels deliver the blood that carries oxygen to various organs of the body. The arteries that supply all organs with the exception of the heart (coronaries) and the brain (carotids) are called peripheral arteries. Among the peripheral arteries are those that deliver blood to the abdomen, chest, arms, legs, kidneys and various other vital organs. In contrast to arteries, the veins bring blood into the heart to be pumped into the lungs and get loaded with oxygen. Chapter 11 will address diseases of the veins. You might hear about peripheral vascular disease (PVD). This is a general term that describes diseases that affect both arteries and veins. The term peripheral arterial disease (PAD) describes diseases that affect the arteries only. This will be the focus of this chapter.

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