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FCCI’s Amputation Prevention Center

 

Woodrow Buie had reached the last resort. He was facing a wound that could not heal without proper blood flow. It seemed that his options were becoming more limited and he was at risk for amputation.

His physician referred him to Dr. Khatib for a final opinion. Dr. Khatib performed an atherectomy on Woodrow in the First Coast Cardiovascular Institute (FCCI) outpatient cath lab. An atherectomy involves using a catheter to restore blood flow through the artery. The procedure lasted two hours and was ultimately successful. Woodrow dropped from a 90% blockage to 30% blockage. Despite the intensity of the procedure, Woodrow says it was not painful or stressful on him. “I was in and out the same day,” Woodrow says.

Woodrow says the quantity of his life has improved significantly since the time he had the procedure performed. He is thankful for the work of FCCI and Dr. Khatib. “I would recommend him to anyone,” Woodrow says.

We see Woodrow’s story every day at FCCI; these are stories of those who have been told nothing could be done for them, who come to our clinic with little hope left. We are typically the only thing standing between the patient and an amputation.

At the center of our organization is a robust amputation prevention program. We have been saving legs for over a decade, with every intention to continue growing our program and eliminate unnecessary amputations. “We are proud to say this is the highlight of our practice and what we do best,” Dr. Yazan Khatib says, “We are truly pioneers in amputation prevention and one of the first to do it nationally.”

There are a number of perceptions when it comes to amputation. There are stereotypes that individuals with bad kidneys, diabetes, or a non-healing wound will inevitably face amputation. We fight these stereotypes everyday by offering hope to patients with these conditions.

What is behind the success of our amputation prevention program? We house a team of endovascular specialists. Endovascular medicine is a relatively new branch of medicine, treating problems affecting the blood vessel. With this approach, our physicians avoid open surgeries and are instead able to prevent amputations in an outpatient setting, with only a small incision in the wrist or groin. We then couple our specialists with fully-accredited, state-of-the art outpatient facilities. Our facilities are cost-effective while meeting the highest standards in the healthcare field.

But of course, specialists and a facility are nothing without compassion, drive, and innovation. This is what sets us apart. Each patient is like our own family member and there is nothing we will stop at to ensure the highest quality of life possible.

Click here to read more articles like this in the latest edition of The Heart of Jacksonville magazine. 

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