Told You Need an Amputation? Why a Second Opinion Is Worth It

Being told a leg cannot be saved is frightening — and it is not always the final word. Whether a limb is salvageable often depends on whether the small arteries below the knee and in the foot were examined and treated.

OKLAHOMA CARDIOVASCULAR CENTER  ·  FOR PATIENTS

We meet many people who arrive after being told nothing more can be done. Often, the blockages that threaten the limb sit in the small arteries of the calf, ankle, and foot — the arteries we work to reopen. When those can be reopened, the outlook can change.

Why the answer can differ

Not every limb can be saved. A second opinion asks whether the below-the-knee and pedal arteries have been fully examined and attempted. Reaching those vessels takes specific techniques and experience: working upward from a small artery in the foot, approaching a blockage from both directions, and reopening the arteries of the foot itself.

A second opinion is not about false hope. It is about making sure every reasonable option has been tried before an amputation is accepted — a decision that cannot be undone.

What a second look involves

• A focused evaluation with your physician. When a blockage is likely, your arterial ultrasound, your procedure (an angiogram), and your follow-up visit are each scheduled before you leave.

• A straight answer about what can and cannot be done for your specific limb.

• If treatment can help, a plan — most often minimally invasive and outpatient. 
  

Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia →   Below-the-Knee & Pedal Revascularization →   Request a second opinion →

When to call us — don’t wait for your next visit

A limb that is losing its blood supply is time-sensitive, and a foot wound with infection can move quickly. 

Call our office today if you notice: 

• A wound with spreading redness, foul drainage, or new black tissue

• Foot pain at rest, or pain that wakes you at night and eases when you hang the foot off the bed 

Call our office at (918) 943-5303 and tell us what’s changed — we’ll get you seen sooner, because catching these early often keeps a small problem from becoming a big one.

Go to the emergency room now, or call 911, if you have: 

• A foot or leg that becomes suddenly cold, pale, numb, or painful

• An infection that is spreading quickly, or a fever with a wound