Advanced Centre For Vascular Surgery at Fortis Hospital Bangalore

Departmental Focus

Before we deep-dive into key aspects involved in this treatment, let us focus on understanding its purpose and resourcefulness. The vascular system more commonly referred to as the circulatory system denotes the involuntary movement of blood and lymph throughout our body. Our circulatory system involves arteries and veins. Arteries carry oxygenated blood throughout the body delivering oxygen to the tissues. Veins return the de-oxygenated blood from the tissues to the heart. Peripheral Vascular diseases are caused due to malfunctioning of the arteries and veins.

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

PAD is a blood circulation disorder that causes blood vessels (arteries) outside of your heart and brain to narrow, block or go into spasm. PAD typically causes pain and fatigue often in your legs. It also affects arms, stomach, intestines and kidneys. In PAD arteries become narrowed and blood flow decreases. This can be due to ‘hardening of arteries’ (atherosclerosis) or due to spasms.

In atherosclerosis, plaques build in a vessel and limit the flow of blood and oxygen to your organs and limbs. As plaque growth progresses, clots may develop and completely block the artery. This can lead to organ damage and loss of fingers, toes or limbs (gangrene) if left untreated.

Primary causes of PAD are:

• Smoking

• High Blood Pressure

• Diabetes

• High Cholesterol

Risk factors of PAD:

• Age greater than 50

• Overweight

• Abnormal cholesterol

• Diabetes

• High Blood Pressure

• Heart Disease

Symptoms of PAD:

• Legs and arms – turning reddish blue, pale

• Pain, cramps

• Numbness, heaviness

• Gangrene

• Wounds and ulcers

Venous Disorders

Venous disorders are conditions that damage your veins, the vessel that brings blood back to your heart after your body has used the oxygen in them.

Common Venous Disorders:

• Varicose Veins & Spider Veins

• Superficial Venous thrombophlebitis

• Deep Vein Thrombosis

• Chronic Venous Insufficiency

Symptoms of Venous Disorders:

• Pain in legs/arms

• Fatigue

• Burning

• Itching

• Swelling

• Black pigmentation

• Wounds and ulcers

Role of a Vascular Surgeon

Understanding vascular surgery involves decoding the role played by the vascular surgeons. They are highly trained specialists focused on resolving the above-mentioned conditions which may cause a serious threat to the normal functioning of the human body.

Skill coverage

Role of a vascular surgeon is a multi-dimensional one. A vascular surgeon is highly trained in performing both contemporary surgical procedures like open surgeries (Bypass, varicose vein surgery) and minimally invasive procedure like Endovascular interventions (Angioplasty & Stenting).

Conditions treated

Conditions that lead to a vascular disease include:

* Atherosclerosis – This includes a build up of plaque and other fatty substances on the inner walls of the arteries. Although it starts as a slow condition, it progresses rapidly and results into thinning of the arteries blood flow channel to key organs.

* Aneurysm – This occurs in the aorta, brain, intestine and is often characterized by the bulging of a weakened blood vessel wall. Internal bleeding due to this can often be fatal.

* Spider and varicose veins – These are abnormally large vessels caused due to structural abnormalities of the normal blood vessels wherein damaged valves allow the backflow of blood within veins.

* Injury from accident (Vascular Injuries)– This includes trauma or accident based injuries that may lead to inflammation or infection of the blood vessels.

*Thrombosis – Sudden blockage of arteries/veins due to clots

*Vascular Malformations – Abnormal vascular tumour (Haemangioma)

*Deep Vein Thrombosis

*Haemo-dialysis access for chronic kidney disease (AV fistula)

*Diabetic ulcers

*Diabetic gangrene

Procedures Performed

• Open Bypass procedure for arterial occlusion in limbs/neck/abdomen

• Aneurysm surgeries / Stenting

• Surgical procedure to save legs/arm due to gangrene

• Surgical procedure to prevent amputation

• Endovascular procedure / Angioplasty/ Stenting to releive blocks in arteries & veins

• Embolectomy

• Vascular tumor excision

• Open Varicose Vein Surgery

• Laser Surgeries for Varicose veins

• IVC filters for DVT

• Venous thrombectomy / Valve repair

• AV fistula/ AV graft / Derma Cath for hemodialysis

• Carotid endarterectomy/ stenting

The FORTIS Team

The vascular specialists at Fortis are trained and highly experienced experts in diagnosing vascular problems. Right from non-invasive testing such as MRI, angiography to comprehensive management of a patient including screening, medication and risk management; the team at Fortis is capable of proudly handling all of these crucial steps. They are vested in building a relation with the patient and work closely with them to determine whether or not a vascular surgery is the most viable option for them.

Right from the treatment that a patient and his loved ones receive, to the experts that help patients get their lives back on track, Fortis ensures that they become a caring and indispensable part of this life transformational journey. They leave no stone unturned in keeping all up to speed by doing the right diagnosis, having detailed discussions with the patients and their families to explain the procedure in detail and then performing surgeries with international standards of accuracy and success rate. With a combined experience of X years and technical capabilities such as minimally invasive surgical procedures, the Fortis team has performed X vascular surgeries with an astoundingly high success rate.