b'ADVERTORIAL FEATUREHEART EDITIONNEWSSmoking Can Lead to Amputations W Aparajita isl Meet Our Doctor ,a and has beenStrength inhile most people are familiar with the dev-Dr.a fellowship-trained vascular surgeon astatingconsequencessmokinghason serving the Polk County community for the past 1 year. She earned theirlungs(COPD,cancer),heart(coro-her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree at nary art ity r ofi De sease),he th brain (strok re ) l e i rchdirectEvery StrideUnivers e y di hi, India. S oren completed ae s tsfellowship in vascular surgery at Columbia University Medica Center in New relation to lmb loss escapes public attention!York and a residency in General Surgery at Staten Island University Forosp r toow York, she compl ker s, theshipt time t ascular H fa ital in Ne many smo etedher fellow firs training in V hey SurgeryatNewarkBethIsraelMedicalCenterandSt.Barnabas learn of the connection with limb loss is when Medical Center in New Jersey.avascularsurgeondiagnosesthemwith Dr. Aparajita is also a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). The disease Edinburgh, UK (MRCS Ed) and completed her Basic Surgical Training inRITU APARAJITA, MD, RPVIis either diagnosedicalithol. o symptoms at all,KSC Cardiology Equine-Assisted Therapy HelpsEngland soon after her med w scho nor Dr. itparajita is theins uthor on orealkingo (claudirnal articles,Patients Boost Balance & CoordinationwAh leg pa co-awhef mw than twdozen joucation) publicationsandoralpresentations,includingtopicssuchas and much more commonly with gangrene of the toes or non-healing endovascular treatment for thrombosis, aortic aneurysm repair, stroke, wounds of the feet. If the patient continues poor lifestyle habits, like peripheral artery disease and other vascular conditions.smoking, PAD slowly starves the toes, feet, and legs of oxygen, whichby SHAYLYNN MARKSAdditional posts and volunteer work include a teaching position at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and as a Member of the Public and can lead to gangrene and/or amputation, if not treated.Professional Outreach Committee as well as the International Relationsns the blood, increasesA t Aprils Acres, an equine-assisted therapy program in Lakeland run by board-HOW DOES SMOKING LEAD TO AMPUTATIONS?Committee at the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS).Nicotine from cigarettes is a stimulant that thicke certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Beth Houston, families Dr.AparajitawasrecentlynominatedfortheAmericanMedical Association(AMA)InspirationAwardthatrecognizesphysicians heart rate, and narrows the blood vessels.are using time with horses to support physical goals that can be difficult to who have contributed to the achievements of women in the medical profession. replicate indoors.It increases LDL (bad cholesterol) in the blood and lowers HDL (good cholesterol). Houston founded Aprils Acres after volunteering at a local horse rescue and RITU APARAJITA, MD, MRCS (Ed), MBBS noticing how children responded to the animals. Today, she works full time in It hastens the progression of narrowing or hardening of blood vessels Specialty: Vascular & Endovascular Surgery health care and runs sessions at the farm in the evenings and on weekends.by atherosclerosis.nges lead to less bloology Novemhe feet and ultimately All these chaJoining KSC Cardiod getting to tber 9, 2020 HOW APRILS ACRES BEGANlead to the development of PAD. In the early stages, there is a varietyHouston said her path to equine-assisted work started about five years ago, when of treatments available for PAD. If aggressive lifestyle changes (smoking cessation,exercise,low-fatdiet,weightloss)arenotinstituted,thenshe began volunteering at a horse rescue in Plant City.gangrene, ulcers, or wounds set in, leaving few treatment options andWithin months, she met April, a gentle older horse she later adopted. Houston limited success rates. began taking lessons and brought April home. Shortly after, she adopted two more Unfortunately, studies show that 90% of patients with PAD are smokers,rescue horses, including Romeo.and despite counseling and control measures, only 20-25% are able toAt the time, Houston said, she was working as a pediatric nurse at outpatient quit successfully. This is very sad because quitting smoking is probablycenters while pursuing graduate training. As she began inviting families to visit and the most important thing thatspend time with the horses, word spread.you can do to save your legs.DANGERSThe good news is that a varietyOF SMOKING It kind of blew up at one point, Houston said. I started getting a lot of kids that ofsupportmeasuresandwere on the spectrum. So I was seeing a calming effect and what a difference it extremely effective medicationswas making for them.are available free of cost to helpHouston said she completed an initial certification through Spirit Horse International youquit.Smokingpipeandabout three years ago. The program, she said, was geared more toward riding vaping also involves release ofprogression at larger centers, so her focus has remained on what her setting can nicotine in blood so the effectssafely support.aresimilartocigarettes.AskPADyourdoctorforhelporvisit tobaccofreeflorida.com to learnHEART ATTACKaboutwaystoquitsmoking. BIO: Dr.Aparajitaisafellowship-trained vascular and endovascular surgeon. She is a co-author of 20-plus journal articles and publications and was recently nominated for an Inspiration Award by the American Medical Association. ThiscolumnissponsoredbyKSC Cardiology,andtheopinionsexpressedSTROKEherein may not reflect those of CFHN or of its advertisers.10 | CFHN centralfloridahealthnews.com'