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TOPLINE:
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) can lead to serious complications, including lower‑limb amputations. An updated interactive heat map showed PAD‑related amputation rates across the US, stratified by region and demographics, which may help plan screening and care.
METHODOLOGY:
- The PAD Collaborative, convened by the American Heart Association (AHA), released an updated interactive map that visualizes trends in PAD-related amputations of lower extremities.
- The map was created using data from Medicare and the US Census Bureau from 2003 to 2023, tracking patients with PAD across states, congressional districts, and counties.
- Amputation rate has been defined as the number of lower-limb amputations per 1000 patients with Medicare within 5 years of being diagnosed with PAD.
- The updated map has incorporated filters for age, race or ethnicity, and sex. The map is free and available for public use and lets users view results by geography and demographics.
TAKEAWAY:
- Areas with higher PAD-related amputation rates appeared darker on the map, whereas lighter colors indicated lower amputation rates.
- In 2023, the overall amputation rate in the US was 8.94 to 9.20 per 1000 Medicare patients with PAD, and ranged from 24.89 to 26.23 per 1000 among Black patients with PAD.
- Hovering over the map and changing the filters revealed variations in amputation rates across regions and demographic groups.
IN PRACTICE:
“These insights help healthcare professionals, policymakers, and community leaders better understand local trends and identify where additional screening, treatment resources, and patient education may be most needed,” a news release from the AHA on December 1, 2025, reported.
SOURCE:
The interactive heat map was released by the PAD Collaborative, convened by the AHA.
LIMITATIONS:
No specific limitations were explicitly mentioned.
DISCLOSURES:
No disclosures or statements for conflict of interest were provided for this study.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
