Frequently Asked Questions

The vascular system is the network of veins that move throughout the body. Vascular surgery specialist in India perform vascular surgery to treat the following conditions:

Carotid Artery Disease

Carotid arteries are the arteries that carry the blood to the head and neck. When plaque builds up inside the carotid arteries, it may cause a stroke. To prevent stroke, vascular surgery is performed to treat the affected carotid artery.

Aneurysms

It is the dilation of the blood vessel(s) which can lead to a rupture and ultimately result in death. Aneurysms can occur in any part of the body, but they are most common in brain, legs, spleen and aorta. It occurs when the wall of an artery weakens, causing an abnormally large bulge.

Critical Limb Ischemia

This condition occurs when there a severe blockage in the arteries, leading to a reduction in the blood flow. If this condition is not treated timely, the surgeon might have to amputate the limb.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency

When the leg veins do not allow blood to travel back to the heart, the person is said to be suffering from a chronic venous insufficiency. A problem with the valves in the veins can cause the blood to flow in both the directions - to and from the heart. Varicose surgery is a must to treat the condition.

Lymphoedema

Lymphoedema is the swelling caused by the accumulation of fluid in the body’s tissue caused by blockage of lymphatic vessels.

Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)

PVD is a progressive yet slow circulation disorder caused by blockage, narrowing or spasms in a blood vessel. Vascular surgery is a bypass graft in which the blocked artery is replaced by a blood vessel from another part of the body or a synthetic tube. The new blood vessel or synthetic tube is used to reroute the blood flow.

Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary Embolism or PE is a blood clot that develops in a blood vessel of a leg. The clot then travels to the lung artery where it can suddenly block the flow. An embolus is the blood clot that forms in one area, breaks off and then travels to a different area of the body.

Renal Vascular Disease

This disease affects the blood flow in and out of the kidneys which may cause high blood pressure, kidney damage and kidney failure.

A vascular surgeon clinically evaluates a patient basis their medical history and a physical examination. The surgeon also evaluates non-operative measures such as drug therapy and risk factor management. To diagnose if vascular surgery procedures are required, the heart surgeon may conduct the following tests to determine arterial blood flow –

• Arteriogram
• Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) Test
• Ultrasound Scan
• Segmental Pressure Test
• Angiography
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Lymphangiography
• Lymphoscintigraphy
• Computed Tomography Scan
• Duplex Ultrasound Scanning
• Plethysmography

However, there may not be any symptoms of vascular disease caused by blood clots until the clot grows significantly larger to block the blood flow.

Before the surgery, the patient is screened, and a thorough evaluation is done. Patients possessing a high risk must take oral beta-blockers a couple of weeks before the surgery to reduce the possibility of a heart attack.

Aftercare after any surgery is important. However, the duration of care will depend on the type of surgery, criticality and other factors. In some cases, the patient will have to be hospitalised for more than 24 hours till the situation normalises.

All surgeries are known to carry some risks including vascular surgery. A risk of infection is possible wherever an incision is required. There is a higher risk of complications during a vascular surgery where major blood vessels or organs are concerned. Furthermore, patients who smoke, have chronic lung or kidney disease, high blood pressure and other illnesses are at a greater risk of developing complications during vascular surgery. Failed or blocked grafts, bleeding, heart attack or stroke, and leg swelling are some of the risks associated with vascular surgery.

If you have kidney disease, you may be at risk eventually developing chronic kidney failure and need long term hemodialysis. In this case, you will require a dialysis access procedure in order to be able to get dialysis. This procedure may be insertion of an arterio-venous fistula (AVF), or arterio-venous graft (AVG) into your arm. We will always try to perform the AV Fistula first. An AV Fistula provides the lowest risk of complications and longest patency rate. However, you must have an adequate sized vein for us to use for the AV Fistula. We can determine the size of your veins in our vascular ultrasound lab in our office. 

If an adequate sized vein cannot be found in your arm on the ultrasound evaluation, the surgeon may be required to use an artificial graft and place an AV Graft in your arm.

When varicose veins go untreated, the blood continues to pool in the veins and too often makes the situation worse, resulting in in one of more of the following conditions:

• Increased pain and swelling – When varicose veins go untreated, the veins continue to get more damaged, which ends up making the pain worse and the legs swollen.
• Prolonged symptoms. Just because a person with varicose veins is not experiencing any symptoms right now, it does not mean they will never experience them. In fact, the longer the varicose veins go untreated, the more likely they are to experience pain sooner rather than later.
• Tiredness and weakness – Over time, untreated varicose veins can cause weakness in the legs. This means the individual will get tired faster and with more severity. For individuals with active lifestyles or occupations that require them to be on their feet all day, this can be a huge consequence.
• Ulcers – Untreated varicose veins can increase the changes of wounds like ulcers to develop. They can also cause spontaneous bleeding and make it harder for the wounds to heal.
• Other conditions – Untreated varicose veins open the door for other conditions, such as the potentially deadly deep vein thrombosis, blood clots, and lipodermosclerosis.
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To sum it up, not treating varicose veins leads to worse-appearing veins, more unpleasant symptoms, and more damage to the veins. This is why seeking treating is essential. A vein specialist can examine your veins, medical history, and lifestyle habits to make treatment recommendations that involve not only medications or medical treatments, but also lifestyle changes that can slow the progression of the condition and reduce symptoms.