DMC Cardiologists Help Local Man with PAD

"There's no pain in my legs!" Joe Kalish, 72, could only dream of saying those words. For almost five years, Kalish had been suffering from peripheral arterial disease (PAD), severe pain in his legs. After going to several doctors and having procedure after procedure done, his condition was not improving. Amputation of not only one, but both legs seemed to be the only option. After researching "top" physicians, Kalish came across Dr. Mahir Elder, an interventional cardiologist at DMC Cardiovascular Institute.

Within a week of calling for an appointment, Kalish and his family drove 1.5 hours to have their first meeting with Dr. Elder. A few days later, on Monday, January 2, 2012, Joe had his first surgery, a procedure called endovascular repair, a minimally invasive procedure that removes the blockage by using a drill about the size of the tip of a pen and angioplasty. This procedure is very complex and Dr. Elder is among a short list of physicians in the country that can perform this procedure.

On that Tuesday, vascular surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Rubin, performed a second surgery on Joe's other leg, and just a few days later, on Friday, January 6, he was released from the hospital. His daughter, Jeri Lynn Kalish couldn't be happier with his progress. "To see your dad in so much pain is very hard," Jeri Lynn said while looking at her dad walking around the hospital room free of pain and feeling great. "Today is a good day," she added.

For more information on Dr. Elder and Dr. Rubin, please visit http://www.dmc.org/physicians and to make an appointment, call 1-800-DMC-2500 (or 800-362-2500).

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