Tattoo troubles
Could a popular body spot for tattoos stop women from getting pain medication?

Researchers say it is a possibility and some are wondering if putting a tattoo on the lower back will stop them from having an epidural.

An epidural is an injection to the lower back to block pain commonly given to women during childbirth.

Spine specialist Dr. Scott Jarmain says there has been a lot of misinformation on the internet.

However, he believes women can safely have an epidural with a lower back tattoo if doctors are careful and find a spot with no ink.

Dr. Scott Jarmain, physical medicine & rehabilitation specialist says, "If she had to get a tattoo I'd try to convince her to get a tattoo and put it over here maybe the upper part of the butt left or right and keep it smaller because when the tattoo is so big it leaves the doctor with very little room to put the needle."

He says no one should have an epidural if the tattoo is fresh and ink should be dry and the skin completely healed about 8-12 weeks.

Artificial arteries
Around 12-million people in the U.S at the age of 50 and older have peripheral artery disease or PAD.

A plaque build-up in the artery walls blocks circulation and many patients face amputation.

In fact, 90 percent of all amputations are caused by PAD, but now a new procedure can fix the problem.

Getting the morning paper might not seem like a big deal, but it is to 86-year-old Helen Scheier.

Until recently, Helen could barely walk because of the pain in her left foot.

"I didn't have any feeling in my foot at all except pain," says Helen.

The artery that was supposed to deliver blood to her foot was blocked.

"These blockages can cause pain when you walk or sometimes can lead to lack of circulation that's bad enough that people can have amputations," Dr. Richard F. Neville with Georgetown University hospital.

Helen faced losing her foot until doctors told her about a new procedure.

Instead of bypassing the blocked artery with a vein from her other leg, they used an artificial artery.

"It's like a blocked pipe. The plumber doesn't have to go in and replace the pipes. Just have to get a new pipe around the blockage," says Dr. Neville.

Doctors sew the artificial artery right onto an open artery in the leg. It's essentially a bypass procedure where blood re-routes and travels through the new artery to get to the patient's lower leg.

Dr. Neville describes, "What we're hoping is this will allow us to save legs in situations where we couldn't before."

Another benefit the artificial artery contains a blood thinner medicine that prevents clots from forming.

"That's the critical time period when we don't want the clotting to occur to get the graft to function right," Dr. Neville explains.

This surgery is easier than standard methods because it requires smaller incisions.

Doctors say this surgery is an ideal option for people who do not have an available vein to reroute blood, either because it's been used for something like heart surgery or because they have varicose veins.

So far, Georgetown doctors have seen an 80-percent success rate.

Some patients can walk within a week. It's taken Helen longer than that, but two months later, she's painting and crocheting again.

Helen says, "There's no sense in living if you can't do the things you enjoy."

Now she can.