Save Legs. Change Lives.? Brings PAD Amputation Awareness Back to ACC

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly one year since Janssen Cardiovascular & Metabolism introduced the Save Legs. Change Lives.? initiative at ACC.22. Since then, we’ve made great strides towards our goal of addressing the hidden threat of amputations linked to peripheral artery disease (PAD), and we are excited to be back in action at ACC.23 to share more about our cause and drive even more conversations around PAD among leaders in cardiology.

The meeting’s setting this year in New Orleans, LA is especially poignant. We know that PAD disproportionately impacts the Black community, affecting Black Americans at twice the rate of white Americans and resulting in up to four times the number of PAD-related amputations.(1) But as one of 12 regions in the US where PAD-related amputation rates are the highest – and vascular care is the lowest – Louisiana is one of the hardest-hit states when it comes to limb loss caused by PAD; and the statistics tell us that Black Louisianians are bearing the brunt of the impact.(2) Black Americans accounted for nearly two-thirds (62%) of the individuals in these 12 areas – including Louisiana – who have endured a PAD-related amputation.(2) This is magnified by the fact that the number of Black Americans who had a PAD-related amputation in these high-risk regions were five times higher than in the rest of the US.(2)

Tragically, PAD’s effect on the Black community isn’t limited to Louisiana. If you are planning to attend ACC.23 this week, I encourage you to stop by our Save Legs. Change Lives.? booth (#511). Additionally, I will be participating in a panel discussion at ACC’s Health Equity Hub on March 5th at 3:30pm CT to discuss best practices for creating and sustaining health equity policies, practices and outcomes. This is something that is at the forefront of our strategy as we continue to collaborate with partners that will pave the way for more equitable PAD care, such as our recent sponsorship of the American College of Cardiology Foundation’s “Change the FIELD” program – an effort to foster inclusivity, equity, leadership and diversity in the field of cardiology – which I encourage you to learn more about by checking out our recent story on JNJ.com.

Through efforts like these, we won’t stop until we’ve alleviated at-risk communities from the life-altering burden of health outcomes like amputation, and changed the trajectory of PAD care for individuals, families and communities across the US.

We’ve come a long way, and we’re just getting started! Learn more about our efforts to support a more equitable future in PAD care on savelegschangelives.com .

?REFERENCES

1.??????Creager MA, Matsushita K, Arya S, et al. Reducing nontraumatic lower-extremity amputations by 20% by 2030: time to get to our feet: a policy statement from the American Heart Association.?Circulation. 2021;143(17):e875-e891. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000967

2.??????Goodney, P. P., Holman, K., Henke, P. K., Travis, L. L., Dimick, J. B., Stukel, T. A., Fisher, E. S., & Birkmeyer, J. D. (2013). Regional intensity of vascular care and lower extremity amputation rates. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 57(6), 1471-1480.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2012.11.068 ?