July 15, 2004

New Vascular Medicine Practice Set to Open at Penn
Staffed by Two Penn Cardiovascular Specialists,
The Practice Will Provide Comprehensive Care to Patients Suffering from Various Forms of Vascular Disease

(Philadelphia, PA) – Beginning tomorrow, July 16^th, The University of Pennsylvania Health System will begin operating a new, multidisciplinary Vascular Medicine Practice, dedicated to treating patients suffering from all forms of vascular disease. Physicians Herbert Aronow, MD, MPH, Director of Peripheral Vascular Intervention in Cardiovascular Medicine, and Emile Mohler, MD, Director of Vascular Medicine, will direct the new practice, which will specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial disease, or PAD (blockages in the arteries of the legs, arms, kidneys, brain and elsewhere). “By integrating vascular medicine into our diabetes center, this practice will complement Penn’s existing vascular program, which is directed by Dr. Ron Fairman, Chief, Division of Vascular Surgery. It will focus on the non-surgical treatment of PAD, an often under-diagnosed and under-treated disease, which afflicts approximately 10 million people in our country. In fact, within five years of diagnosis, nearly 1 in 5 persons with PAD will die and roughly 1 in 3 persons will suffer a heart attack or stroke,” explains Aronow.

Doctors routinely treat patients with coronary atherosclerosis (plaque that builds up in the heart’s arteries). The nature of atherosclerosis is that it can affect blood vessels all over the body, so it is not uncommon for blockages to arise in the arteries of the legs, arms, kidneys, brain and elsewhere. “Since we are already familiar with the treatments available to patients with coronary atherosclerosis it is a natural extension to apply this same approach to those with peripheral arterial disease. We are able to offer patients the latest evidenced-based medical therapies, cutting edge interventional treatments using balloons, stents, cryotherapy, lasers, or other devices and, if necessary, triage them to surgery,” adds Aronow.

Both doctors believe that greater attention must be devoted to PAD in order to improve the health of our society. The best way to raise awareness of the complications of PAD, they agree, is by creating formal clinical and research programs that focus on treating patients with the most comprehensive care available. “New treatments come from new discoveries based in dedicated vascular research programs. This multi-disciplinary practice will allow for new research to be brought quickly to the patient,” adds Mohler.

The location of the Vascular Medicine Practice – in the Rodebaugh Diabetes Center, on the 4^th Floor of Penn Tower – will allow Drs. Aronow and Mohler to closely work with Penn endocrinologists to combat PAD, which may affect as many as half of adult diabetics and often has dire consequences in this patient population. The practice will be open to patients on Wednesdays and Fridays.

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Editor’s Note: Patients seeking more information regarding the new Vascular Medicine Practice are asked to call Drs. Mohler (215) 662-9016 or Aronow (215) 615-3070 for appointments.

PENN Medicine is a $2.5 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System (created in 1993 as the nation’s first integrated academic health system).

Penn’s School of Medicine is ranked #3 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds; and ranked #4 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.

Penn Health System consists of four hospitals (including its flagship Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, consistently rated one of the nation’s “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report), a faculty practice plan, a primary-care provider network, three multispecialty satellite facilities, and home health care and hospice.