Gangere

My husband had a heart attack on 10/27/2009, an angioplsty was preformed and a stint was put in, while in the hospital he complained about his right big toe feeling very cold and hurting, they said he had good pluse and gave him a pain pill, after getting home I called the medical exchange becasue he was in a lot of pain on his toe and it was very cold I was advised to take him back to the hospital where they again checked his pulse and blood flow and gain said he looked good and MAYBE small particals got to his toe but that it shoudl disolve and gave him more pain killers, now we went to see his cardiologist the follwoing week, bu this time his toe was tunring red almost purple and brusied and gain he was told everything loked fine and given more pain pills. Now he had been like this for almost 3 weeks, now I called the doctor on Tuesday because his pain was unbearable and he had been able to sleep, his doctor saw him on Wednesday and this time said that he now had ganaere n his toe and is sending him to a wond clinic to check it out to see if it may be amputated. My question is "Why was this ignored for so long and should the 3 different doctors he saw have forseen this coming?

[Cleveland Clinic]

It may have been a result of the left heart catheterization during which the stent was placed, but it may have been a spontaneous embolic event from more proximal source such as the heart or the aorta. I would recommend that an echocardiogram be performed to rule out a left ventricle thrombus, and an abdominal ultrasound to rule out an aortic aneurysm. In addition he may need a PVR and if there is a significant decrease in flow on that leg this may mean that he has significant atherosclerosis. If this is the case then he may benefit from revascularization either via stenting in the leg or leg bypass surgery.