Vascular Surgeon
Vascular surgeon diagnose and help people manage conditions that affect circulation, including diseases of the veins and arteries. Types of vascular procedures include carotid artery surgery, lower limb revascularization and more.
Who needs a vascular surgeon consutation?
- Arterial blockages in legs or arms
- Varicose veins
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- Diabetic foot
- Kidney failure requiring dialysis access (AV Fistula)
- Non healing ulcers
- Aneurysm in the body
- Atherosclerosis
- Peripheral artery disease
- Damage to blood vessels after an injury
Tests and procedures:
- Color Doppler Study
- CT Angiography
- Intravascular ultrasound
Common types of vascular conditions:
- Pulmonary embolisms and blood clots :- A blood clot can build up in a vein and break a part. if a broken part of the clot enters your bloodstream, it travels through veins in your belly and into your heart and then into your lungs. the blood clot can get stuck and block the blood vessels. this condition called as pulmonary embolism.
Symptoms of pulmonary embolism –
- Shortness of breath
- Sharp pain in chest
- Dizziness
- Coughing up blood.
Carotid artery surgery:
It is a procedure that doctors use to treat carotid artery disease. if a person is undergoing tests and the doctor find significant blockages that are likely to cause a stroke they may perform the surgery preventively.
Lower limb revascularization:
It is a procedure that doctor use to treat peripheral artery disease.
Doctors perform this surgery via incisions in the leg, during this procedure they use one of the person’s own veins or an artificial vein to create an alternative conduit for blood flow.
Alternatively they use less invasive methods includes:-
- Balloons
- Stents, which are metallic mesh tubes that hold the blood vessel open.
- Atherectomy devices, which can remove plaque in the blood vessels through smaller tubes.
Varicose veins:
Varicose veins are twisted, enlarged veins. any vein that is close to the skin’s surface can become varicosed, most commonly affect the veins in the legs, that’s because standing and walking increases the pressure in the veins of the lower body.
Treatment:- Endovenous laser therapy (ELVT) , Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to collapse the affected veins.
Limb Amputations:
Doctors may consider limb amputations as a last resort when other treatmets have not worked.
Amputation can become necessary when the sores do not heal or when they turn black and die, which doctor refer to as Gangrene. If person has both PAD and diabetes, they are at an increased risk of amputation.
Embolism:
An embolism is when something blocks a blood vessel. sometimes, pieces of plaque can break away from the artery walls and travel around the body in the bloodstream until they get stuck.
Angiogram:
An angiogram is a medical procedure, doctor use it to find and treat blockages and atherosclerosis in the blood vessels.
Stenting:
A vascular surgeon inserts a mesh tube, known as a stent into the affected blood vessel. this holds the vessel open so the blood can get through.
Bypass surgery:
A vascular surgeon takes a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body and creates a bypass around the blockage.