Medical Need
Atherosclerosis describes the build-up of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls. This build-up, also called plaque, can cause arteries to narrow and eventually reduce or completely block the arterial blood flow. If the occlusion is located in the outer limbs, the disease is referred to as peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Untreated PAD can progress to become critical limb ischemia (CLI) with typical symptoms including rest pain (a tingly sensation of the muscles caused by insufficient blood/oxygen supply), gangrene (dying tissue) and ulcers (non-healing wounds). Current treatment options aim to restore the arterial blood flow via two dominant methods: angioplasty stenting and open by-pass surgery. Both methods suffer from short- and long-term complications and are specifically challenging in the areas below the knee where ProVascTec aims its first generation product.