New Aust technique to save limbs at risk from vascular disease

An Australian world-first technique looks set to prevent amputations through a system which uses an implanted device to pump blood at high pressure into dying limbs and provide new life.

The system has already been successfully used to save the lower leg of Malcolm Brown, 52, of Newcastle, NSW, who was told by surgeons a year ago that a below knee amputation was the only option. Vascular disease had restricted the bloodflow near his knee which caused the arteries below the knee to become blocked.

Given the new treatment blood was taken from the artery leading to the leg and passed through an external pump which increased its pressure. The higher pressure blood was then forced back into the artery while an inflatable balloon prevented the blood flowing back towards the heart.

A specially designed device allowed the tubes containing the pressurised blood to be detached and reattached for repeated treatments over several days. Malcolm Brown underwent 50 hours of the treatment over five days which allowed new blood vessels to grow past the blockage and right down the leg, restoring blood flow and turning his foot pink again.

Greg Roger, associate professor of bioengineering at Sydney University, and chief executive officer of the company that makes the implanted device, said the treatment was likely to cost in the “tens of thousands” which was far less than the overall cost of amputation, including rehabilitation, which could cost from $125,000 to $250,000.