This Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Awareness Month, Abbott launched a powerful campaign to shine a spotlight on one of the most underdiagnosed and undertreated conditions worldwide. We are proud to share that our Co-Founder and CEO, Dr. Asem Saleh, was featured in Abbott’s CLEAR video series, highlighting his leadership in amputation prevention and value-based vascular care.
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The Hidden Crisis of PAD

PAD affects more than 236 million people globally and often goes unnoticed until it progresses to chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI). Despite being common, PAD is underdiagnosed, undertreated, and frequently overlooked in its earlier stages. According to Abbott’s CLEAR education program, PAD carries a 33% five-year mortality rate, and more than 1 in 5 patients experience major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or hospitalization within a year. The disease burden also extends to quality of life, with many patients experiencing pain, mobility limitations, and wounds that fail to heal.

One of the most alarming realities is that PAD is often asymptomatic or presents with atypical leg symptoms. As a result, delays in referral and treatment can accelerate disease progression, leading to preventable amputations and long-term disability. That’s why PAD Awareness Month is so critical: it calls attention to the need for earlier detection, proactive management, and stronger collaboration across the healthcare system.
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Dr. Saleh’s Role in the CLEAR Series

In Abbott’s In Their Own Words campaign, Dr. Saleh joins physicians and patients from across the world to share real-world perspectives on PAD and CLTI. The video series is structured around three episodes:

• Episode 1 – The Hidden Crisis: Why traditional approaches to amputation are not enough.
• Episode 2 – Transforming Lives: How multidisciplinary care and value-based models can optimize outcomes.
• Episode 3 – The Urgent Need for Amputation Prevention: A patient’s story of facing amputation and the physicians dedicated to preserving mobility and independence.

Dr. Saleh’s contribution focuses on what it takes to move beyond episodic care. He highlights the role of timely vascular assessment, standardized escalation pathways, and advanced limb preservation techniques. His message reinforces that PAD is not just a vascular problem but a system-wide challenge that demands integration between hospitals, community clinicians, and digital decision-support tools.
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Why This Matters

Abbott’s decision to feature Dr. Saleh in their global PAD campaign underscores his reputation as a leader in vascular surgery and integrated models of care. It also reflects a broader recognition of the urgent need for innovation in amputation prevention. Every year, thousands of patients face amputations that could have been avoided with earlier diagnosis and coordinated treatment. These procedures carry not only devastating personal consequences but also significant health system costs.

At Own Health, this is the problem we are working to solve every day. By building hospital-to-home pathways, empowering community providers, and scaling digital platforms like Doctor Dash, we are advancing the very principles highlighted in Abbott’s CLEAR program: early detection, efficient referral, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

The alignment is clear—Abbott’s campaign amplifies awareness on a global stage, while Own Health operationalizes these practices across communities here in Canada. Together, these efforts represent a movement toward value-based vascular care, where the goal is not only to treat disease but to preserve limbs, independence, and quality of life.
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Watch the Series

You can watch Abbott’s CLEAR campaign trailer and episodes featuring Dr. Saleh here.

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