5 Things You Need to Know About Vascular Surgery

1. Outside the Heart

The vascular system includes all vessels outside the heart. Vascular surgery is the treatment of the circulatory system. Vascular conditions come in two main categories: atherosclerosis and thrombophlebitis. Atherosclerosis affects the arteries and thrombophlebitis affects the veins. Seniors have the highest risk of vascular disease. Risk factors for vascular disease include: smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and family history.

2. Surgery by Committee

Since vascular surgery is so complicated and involves many of the body's systems, surgeons, radiologists and internists must work together for total patient care. Vascular surgery treats aneurysms, stroke, carotid artery disease and a variety of other vascular health issues.

3. Surgery Options

There are many new vascular surgery procedures used to treat compilations from vascular disease that are much less invasive. Vascular surgeons use angioplasty and balloon stents to open narrowed arteries in the legs. Surgeons use angioplasty in peripheral artery disease or hardening of the arteries. Surgical bypass procedures create new pathways around clogged arteries restoring blood flow to limbs and extremities. Aneurysm repairs are another type of vascular surgery that repairs an enlarged and weakened section of an artery.

4. Common Vein

One common form of vascular disease is varicose veins. Women get varicose veins more often than men, but family history plays a big part in the condition. Vascular specialists have many new methods of relieving varicose veins without invasive surgeries. Sclerotherapy, ablation and laser treatments allow varicose vein sufferers outpatient options over standard varicose vein stripping. Vascular disease can strike any part of the vascular system. Other advances in vascular techniques give patients with any type of vascular disease less invasive outpatient treatment options.

5. Baby Boomers Beware

People over aged 55 need to take a proactive approach to overall vascular health. By 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau reports, there will be 87 million people over the age of 55. Since vascular disease is most prominent in seniors, surgeons expect vascular procedures to increase dramatically. Although vascular surgery advances make it possible to treat many of the effects of vascular disease with surgery, the best medicine is prevention. Monitoring and regulating blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, increasing physical activity and giving up smoking are the best ways to prevent the need for vascular surgery. People with vascular disease are also at greater risk for a stroke. If you have vascular disease, know the signs of stroke and get help immediately. Stroke symptoms include: weakness, numbness, or tingling on one side of the body, inability to control movement of a body part, blurred vision, unclear speech, dizziness or confusion.