Vein surgeons refer to doctors who treat vascular disease, and the vascular system is a network of veins and arteries that transport blood, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the body. Apart from surgery, they advise patients on treating vascular problems using medications, exercise, lifestyle changes, and diet. Their treatment procedures range from non-invasive procedures to complex surgeries, which depends on the case’s severity. They manage the veins and arteries, which are major blood vessels performing crucial body functions. In other words, arteries transport oxygenated blood throughout the body while veins carry deoxygenated blood to the heart.
Due to the smooth blood flow throughout the system, you have a healthy body. Vascular disease is a condition that interferes with the circulatory system and blood flow, most commonly, blockage. Vascular conditions gradually develop until you see noticeable symptoms, and have triggered due to health and lifestyle conditions such as hypertension, high blood fat and cholesterol levels, smoking, hereditary, and lack of physical exercise.
What are the responsibilities of a vascular surgeon?
As mentioned above, vein surgeons treat diseases related to the vascular system. This includes the veins and arteries, and hardening arteries cause blockages in the circulatory systems and obstruct blood flow in the affected part of the body. They ensure that their patients with vascular health understand their treatment options. Depending on the case’s severity, they perform minimally-invasive endovascular surgery and open complicated surgery. Though vascular surgeons regularly perform surgery, many patients don’t require surgery but are healed through exercise and medication.
Vascular conditions are often lifelong conditions, which is why professional relationships rarely end up with consultations and surgeries. Vascular surgeons regularly diagnose and treat you, which is why you must talk to them about your long-term health and possible treatment options. Possible health complications include acute venous thrombosis, vascular malformations, peripheral artery disease, diabetes limb salvage, visceral artery disease, non-healing wounds, thoracic outlet syndrome, aortic aneurysm, varicose veins, critical limb ischemia, aortic disease, carotid artery disease, and fistula and dialysis graft management.
What are the conditions that a vascular surgeon treats?
Generally, vascular conditions are treated with exercise and medication. As surgery isn’t required in most cases, you must consult your doctor if you have vascular issues. In other words, they handle all the veins and arteries in the body apart from the heart and brain. Once they treat the major cause, their blood starts flowing throughout the body.
- Visceral artery disease
This involves the narrowing of arteries that supply blood to the liver, intestines, and liver. Also called atherosclerosis, or the hardening of arteries occurs due to plaque on the walls of arteries, over time, it causes a reduction in blood flow to the organs.
- Carotid atherosclerosis
Carotid arteries are major blood vessels on the sides of your neck, which deliver blood to the brain. If you have carotid artery disease, it is a blockage in these arteries that can ultimately end in a stroke.
- Aortic aneurysm
Aortic aneurysms refer to a bulge in the aortal section, which is the body’s major artery. As the aorta carries oxygenated blood to the rest of the body, which becomes weakened and stretched over time.
- Peripheral arterial disease
PAD, short for peripheral arterial disease, is a chronic disease where plaque builds up in the arteries of the legs. Though this develops gradually, it limits or blocks blood flow in the artery.
- Venous insufficiency
Arteries deliver oxygenated blood to the rest of the body from the heart, while veins carry deoxygenated blood to the heart. Their valves stop the blood from flowing back, which is why venous insufficiency occurs when blood starts pooling in the veins of the legs — causing varicose veins. Apart from that, vascular surgeons also treat an aneurysm, post-accident trauma, chronic lymphedema, varicose veins, spider veins, and mesenteric and renal arterial disease.
Why should you visit a vascular surgeon?
Your primary healthcare provider refers to the vascular surgeon should you have a problem with the blood vessels, such as leg pain. In these cases, people with high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and high blood pressure visit a vascular surgeon.
What should you expect from the vascular surgeon?
When you visit a vascular surgeon, they will talk to you about your family and medical history, and perform computed tomography (CT) scans, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ankle-brachial pressure index, physical examinations, and angiography. After checking the results, the surgeon diagnoses the causes and discusses treatment options. Apart from that, specialists talk about lifestyle and dietary changes including medication and smoking. In case a blockage is found, angioplasty, compression therapy, or ablation is considered.
