Well we have been taught rigorously in our medical schools but still we tend to forget the so called ABC of how to examine a patient when he/she turns to our clinic with a concerned disease.First and foremost is to check and feel for the peripheral pulses.Most of us only feel for the radial artery pulse and just forget to feel for the lower limb pulses which can yield an important clue into diagnosing a vascular disorder.I have come across patients with paraplegia wherein they were admitted under the supervision of a neurologist thinking it to be a neurological disorder.By the time a diagnosis is made either by a clinical examination of the peripheral pulses or a CT angio,patient gets into a state of irreversible ischemia wherein saving the legs become next to impossible .I feel if all of us can add this simple step of feeling for the peripheral pulses in our daily practise many limbs can be prevented from being amputated by referring the patients with absent pulses to qualified vascular surgeon.I end this article with a famous saying by Leonardo Da Vinci Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Being willing is not enough; we must do.