NG Vascular Urges Earlier Detection of Peripheral Artery Disease During PAD Awareness Month

Rapid Limb Salvage Program offers expedited evaluation for patients with nonhealing wounds and advanced circulation disease

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, September 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — During Peripheral Artery Disease Awareness Month, NG Vascular & Vein Center is encouraging patients, families and healthcare providers across Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana to recognize the warning signs of peripheral artery disease before reduced blood flow progresses to a nonhealing wound, tissue loss or possible amputation.

Nazar Golewale, MD, RPVI, Medical Director of NG Vascular & Vein Center, has performed more than 2,000 minimally invasive PAD procedures and more than 6,000 interventional procedures overall. Through NG Vascular’s Rapid Limb Salvage Program, he and the practice’s vascular team evaluate patients with advanced circulatory disease and determine whether minimally invasive treatment may help restore blood flow.
Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, develops when narrowed or blocked arteries reduce blood flow, most often to the legs and feet. More than 10 million Americans are estimated to have PAD, yet many people remain undiagnosed. Warning signs include leg pain or cramping while walking, numbness or weakness, cold feet, skin-color changes, weak pulses, pain at rest, and wounds on the feet or toes that are slow to heal. In advanced disease, severely reduced circulation can threaten tissue and the limb.
“People often assume that leg pain, numbness or difficulty walking is simply part of aging. A wound may also be treated for weeks without addressing the circulation problem that is preventing it from healing,” Dr. Golewale said. “Identifying PAD and restoring blood flow earlier can make an important difference. Our goal is to evaluate patients while there is still an opportunity to support wound healing and preserve the limb.”

Rapid Access for Urgent Cases
NG Vascular developed its Rapid Limb Salvage Program for patients with advanced PAD and possible limb-threatening ischemia. For appropriate urgent cases, the program aims to coordinate vascular consultation, diagnostic imaging and a treatment plan within 48 to 72 hours.
Patients may benefit from prompt vascular evaluation when they have:
• A foot or leg wound that has not healed for more than two weeks
• A diabetic foot ulcer
• Persistent foot or leg pain, including pain at rest or at night
• Numbness or reduced sensation in the feet
• Cold feet or a significant change in skin color
• Toe discoloration or blackened tissue
• Known or suspected advanced PAD
• A recommendation for amputation when a vascular second opinion may be clinically appropriate

The program looks beyond the wound itself to determine whether inadequate blood flow is limiting healing. Evaluation may include a vascular consultation, ankle-brachial index testing and arterial duplex ultrasound. When appropriate, angiography can define the location and severity of arterial disease and help determine whether circulation can be restored.
Minimally Invasive Treatment Options

For appropriately selected patients, NG Vascular performs minimally invasive, image-guided procedures to restore circulation without open vascular surgery. Treatment may include angioplasty, which uses a small balloon to open a narrowed artery; stent placement when needed to support the artery; and atherectomy, a catheter-based technique used to remove plaque and improve blood flow to the leg or foot. These procedures use a small catheter access site, and many patients can return home the same day.
PAD Awareness Month also provides an opportunity for primary care physicians, podiatrists, wound-care clinicians, diabetes specialists and vascular specialists to coordinate care earlier when a wound is not healing.
“Poor blood flow can keep a wound from healing,” Dr. Golewale said. “If a wound is not improving, or a patient has increasing pain, numbness or changes in the toes or feet, circulation should be evaluated early.”

PAD and Cardiovascular Health
PAD is a form of atherosclerosis and may indicate arterial disease elsewhere in the body. Many patients with PAD also have cardiovascular risk factors, so identifying the condition is an important part of a broader health assessment.
Risk increases with age and is higher among people who smoke or previously smoked, as well as those with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or other cardiovascular disease. NG Vascular encourages people with concerning symptoms, particularly those with diabetes or a history of vascular disease, to seek evaluation before symptoms become severe.

A Vascular Second Opinion Before Amputation
When the clinical situation and timing permit, patients who have been told that an amputation may be necessary may seek an urgent vascular second opinion to determine whether additional options remain to restore circulation. Limb-salvage care focuses on restoring blood flow, supporting wound healing, reducing pain and preserving mobility whenever medically possible.
“Amputation has profound consequences for patients and their families,” Dr. Golewale said. “When circulation can be restored, patients should have the opportunity to understand that option before a limb is lost. Timely evaluation is critical.”

About Dr Nazar Golewale
Nazar Golewale, MD, RPVI, is Medical Director of NG Vascular & Vein Center and a vascular and interventional specialist serving patients throughout Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. He is board-certified in interventional radiology and diagnostic radiology and received his medical education at Yale University. Dr. Golewale has performed more than 6,000 interventional procedures, including more than 2,000 minimally invasive PAD procedures. He has authored scientific work and presented on vascular diagnosis and treatment at professional medical conferences.

About NG Vascular and Vein Center
NG Vascular & Vein Center provides outpatient vascular and interventional radiology care throughout Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. The practice treats peripheral artery disease, limb-threatening circulation problems, venous insufficiency and varicose veins, deep vein thrombosis and other vascular conditions. It also offers image-guided treatments for several conditions traditionally managed with surgery.
NG Vascular operates locations in Addison, Homewood, Palos Heights and Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and Merrillville and Munster, Indiana.
Patient Access
Patients seeking a PAD evaluation or an urgent second opinion concerning a nonhealing wound or possible amputation may contact the NG Vascular Rapid Limb Salvage Program.
Illinois: (708) 888-1167 | Indiana: (219) 208-6218 | Website: NGvascular.com

Media inquiries: NG Vascular & Vein Center | NGvascular.com

Lewis Pincus
Target Consulting
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
X

Dr. Golewale Featured On WGN TV as Chicago’s Expert in PAD

Media gallery