LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sherman Oaks Hospital is pleased to announce the start of the new Amputation Prevention Center®. The center will have dedicated inpatient and outpatient space, dedicated operating rooms and two hyperbaric oxygen chambers in addition to the state-of-the-art equipment needed to perform surgical limb salvage. Lee C. Rogers, D.P.M., a fellowship-trained podiatrist, will be the founding medical director.

“Being told that you may lose a limb is life-altering. With Dr. Rogers’ extensive knowledge and clinical leadership in limb salvage, we hope to advance our ability to heal those patients facing a possible amputation. We are pleased to have someone with his experience join our team”

“Our Center will be the only one in the city to be staffed with four fellowship- trained podiatrists and two renowned vascular surgeons – Willis Wagner, M.D. and Rajeev Rao, M.D., of Vascular Surgery Associates. The Amputation Prevention Center® will change the way we treat limb-threatening conditions such as diabetic foot ulcers,” said Bockhi Park, Chief Executive Officer of Sherman Oaks Hospital. “This program will ensure that our hospital continues to set the benchmark for patient-centered care.”

Nearly one in 12 Americans has diabetes, the leading cause of amputation. Diabetes leads to numbness in the feet called neuropathy, which can cause foot ulcers. Foot ulcers and infections lead to amputations. Additionally, circulatory problems associated with diabetes cause delayed healing in even simple wounds like cuts or scrapes and sometimes gangrene occurs. These complications of diabetes claim approximately 100,000 limbs annually in the United States.

Techniques used to save feet and legs from amputation include surgery to remove infection, restore blood flow or to skin graft the wound. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment can force high concentrations of oxygen into the blood stream and kill infection or prevent tissue loss.

“Being told that you may lose a limb is life-altering. With Dr. Rogers’ extensive knowledge and clinical leadership in limb salvage, we hope to advance our ability to heal those patients facing a possible amputation. We are pleased to have someone with his experience join our team,” said Sherman Oaks Hospital Chief Medical Officer, Sundeep Bhatia, M.D., F.A.C.C.

Dr. Lee C. Rogers, a fellowship-trained podiatrist, will be the founding medical director. Rogers has previously started two successful centers focused on limb salvage in Des Moines, Iowa and in Van Nuys, Calif. and is the medical director of the Amputation Prevention Centers of America®, a national network of specialized centers. Rogers is an award-winning researcher and has more than 100 publications. His work has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, US News & World Report, USA Today and he has been a guest on “The Doctors Show.”

Dr. Willis Wagner of Vascular Surgery Associates is an expert in surgical revascularization, a published author of several manuscripts in respected journals and past-president of the Southern California Vascular Society. He currently serves as clinical chief, division of vascular surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Dr. Rajeev Rao of Vascular Surgery Associatesis an expert in endovascular surgery for limb salvage and has authored papers on endovascular management of various conditions in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Ronald J. Belczyk specializes in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. Dr. Belczyk served his surgical residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and then completed an additional year of foot and ankle surgery residency under the mentorship of Dane Wukich, M.D. He then completed a fellowship in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio where he focused on traumatic foot and ankle injuries, deformity correction, diabetic Charcot reconstruction and soft tissue coverage of the diabetic foot. Dr. Belczyk is a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and board qualified in both foot surgery and reconstructive rearfoot/ankle surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery.

Dr. David A. Pougatsch is a fellowship-trained podiatric surgeon specializing in diabetic limb salvage and reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. He has authored numerous publications and has presented research and lectured at several nationwide scientific meetings. Dr. Pougatsch is active in mentoring residents and students by serving as a clinical instructor of podiatric medicine and surgery at the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif. and is on the teaching faculty in the department of surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he also completed his residency. Dr. Pougatsch finished his post-graduate fellowship in a combined program with the Amputation Prevention Center® and Western University of Health Sciences.

J. Thomas Millington, MD is a fellow of the American College of Certified Wound Specialists and a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is board certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine with a subspecialty in undersea & hyperbaric medicine. Dr. Millington is founder and medical director of Ventura County Wound Specialists and the Los Robles Hospital Center for Hyperbaric Medicine.

Samuel Kashani, M.D. has expertise in pressure ulcer management and will treat patients with chronic, non-healing wounds and ulcers. Dr. Kashani completed his doctorate of medicine as well as a master of science degree (applied physiology) at Rosalind Franklin University in Chicago in 2002. After graduating from medical school, he completed his internship and residency in general surgery at UCSF – East Bay Surgery Program in Oakland, CA. Dr. Kashani is board certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery. He also completed a fellowship in minimally invasive, advanced laparoscopic, and bariatric surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Dr. Kashani is currently chief of surgery at Sherman Oaks Hospital.

Rogers said, “I’m excited to partner with one of the country’s top health systems and to help them build a world class program to prevent one of the most feared complications of diabetes – an amputation. We plan on delivering the highest quality care by using the most modern treatments. Our program is already attracting patients from around Southern California and the world.”

Sherman Oaks Hospital is a 153-bed community hospital in Sherman Oaks, Calif. The hospital is part of Prime Healthcare, Inc. in Ontario, Calif. Prime Healthcare was named one of America’s 15 Top Health Systems in 2013 by Truven Health Analytics. The 15 Top Health Systems outperformed other hospitals by saving more lives and causing fewer patient complications, making fewer safety errors, releasing patients sooner and scored better on patient satisfaction surveys.