[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14706]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE MONTH

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Madam Speaker, September is Peripheral Artery Disease--
or PAD--Awareness Month. PAD is a vascular disease that impacts as many 
as 18 million Americans.
  Narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs, like your legs, 
and in very serious cases leads to amputation, which dramatically 
alters a patient's life and significantly increases healthcare costs.
  There are 180,000 amputations performed in the United States every 
year, and too many of them are unnecessary. More than 30 percent of 
patients who experienced an amputation had no arterial testing before 
their limb was removed. Studies have shown that diagnosing and treating 
patients with PAD with early intervention is directly associated with 
lower rates of amputation.
  By supporting screening for at-risk populations and promoting 
multidisciplinary care with arterial testing, we can prevent 
amputation. It will improve lives, reduce patient mortality, and save 
billions of dollars in healthcare spending.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to learn more about the impact of 
PAD and recognize the need for a comprehensive strategy to eliminate 
nontraumatic amputations.

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