Abstract
Critical limb ischemia(CLI) represents the most serious type of peripheral arterial disease and is associated with a high risk of limb amputation and a poor prognosis. Recently, its prevalence has been rising rapidly because of aging populations and increases in the numbers of patients with diabetes and dialysis patients. CLI treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach involving revascularization and wound care. However, few institutes can provide multidisciplinary treatment at a single center because ordinary hospitals cannot assemble the required CLI experts. In 2008, we developed a regional cooperative CLI treatment team, which was named “J.WALK” and included institutions specializing in cardiology, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, and dialysis, etc. In 2013, we also created a regional foot care team for preventing CLI, which was named “JOYFUL” and included foot care nurses, home care nurses, and medical staff that worked at elderly care facilities or dialysis clinics. In this article, we report the current status of and problems associated with J.WALK and JOYFUL.
