Metro Health Offers Free PAD Seminar & Screening

Sept. 27, 2011 - PRLog -- Wyoming, Michigan, September 27, 2011 – Metro Health Hospital will offer a free peripheral arterial disease seminar on Thursday, Oct. 6 and a free PAD screening on Saturday, Oct. 8 funded by Metro Health Hospital Foundation.

PAD screenings take approximately 30 minutes and involve taking a person’s blood pressure at the wrists and ankles. The screenings are available between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. at Metro Health Hospital. Registration is required. Call 616.242.4880 to register.

The PAD seminar begins at 6:30 p.m. and will feature Dr. Larry Diaz.  The seminar will take place at Krause Lecture Hall in Metro Health Hospital. Call 616.252.7117 to register.

PAD can be a devastating diagnosis and can result in limb amputation. Screenings can help detect the disease in high-risk patients early enough to allow them to make necessary lifestyle and diet changes to improve their circulatory system. The goal of screening patients is to decrease the need for amputation.

Patients should seek a PAD screening if they are experiencing leg pain when walking that ceases once they stop moving. Another indicator of PAD is having wounds or open sores that have difficulty healing. Patients at high risk include those who are obese, have diabetes, heart disease or another circulatory issue. Smokers are also at a higher risk, as are African Americans and Native Americans.

About Metro Health Hospital
Metro Health Hospital is a 208-bed general acute-care osteopathic teaching hospital that serves more than 130,000 patients in Kent and surrounding counties. Metro Health, which earned status as a Top 100 Hospital for the three consecutive years, offers a broad range of services, including inpatient and outpatient services, emergency, surgery, intensive care, rehabilitation, wellness and community education. Metro’s work is supported by the Metro Health Hospital Foundation, which is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of the West Michigan community through philanthropy. For more information, visit www.metrohealth.net.