Vascular disorders lead to poor blood circulation, but they can be treated by our Dallas heart team
The vascular surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas, supported by an experienced vascular healthcare team, regularly perform patient procedures to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Peripheral artery disease happens when arteries in the legs become narrowed by fatty deposits. This build-up, also known as plaque, causes the arteries to harden and narrow in a process known as atherosclerosis. The result is poor blood circulation. Although PAD occurs most often in arteries in the legs, it may also affect other arteries carrying blood outside the heart, such as the aorta, brain, arms, kidneys and stomach. Like other related heart diseases, PAD may be improved with lifestyle changes, medications or vascular surgery procedures.
Vascular procedures we perform in our Dallas heart center include aortic aneurysm procedures, carotid artery procedures, dialysis access, first rib resection, peripheral artery procedures, thrombolysis and varicose vein procedures.
Vascular surgery procedures
Aortic aneurysm procedures
Surgical treatment options for aortic aneurysms—a bulge in the section of the aorta, the body's main artery—at our Dallas heart hospital include a minimally invasive procedure known as elective endograft repair, as well as elective open aortic aneurysm repair. Vascular surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas also perform an innovative new graft procedure, the fenestrated aortic stent graft, and offer thoracic endovascular aortic repair (also referred to EVAR, TEVAR or TA-EVAR) to realign blood flow away from the aneurysm blockage.
Learn more about aortic aneurysm proceduresAV graft for dialysis
Vascular disease can lead to central venous stenosis, which is a narrowing of veins leading to the heart and particularly troublesome for patients undergoing kidney dialysis. Vascular surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas implant a specialized product called a hemodialysis access graft to reduce the risk of vascular access-related infections for dialysis patients. Another vascular graft for kidney dialysis is also a surgical option available to hemodialysis patients to help reduce graft thrombosis.
Learn more about AV graft for dialysisCarotid artery procedures
Carotid artery surgery is performed to open any blockages in blood flow to the carotid artery in a patient's neck. These surgical procedures at our heart hospital in Dallas include carotid endarterectomy, carotid stenting and transaortic artery revascularization (TCAR).
Learn more about carotid artery proceduresFirst rib resection procedures
The thoracic outlet—the enclosed space between the base of the neck and the armpit—is where nerves and blood vessels of the arm must pass and is a critical part of the body's circulatory system. When this area becomes constricted, it is a condition known as thoracic outlet syndrome and can lead to pain in a patient's shoulder, arm or hand. Thoracic outlet syndrome is commonly treated by physical therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or short courses of steroids to resolve symptoms. If these treatment options are unsuccessful, a surgical procedure known as first rib resection may be needed to create more room for blood vessels and nerves.
Learn more about first rib resection proceduresPeripheral artery procedures
The vascular surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas treat patients when a blocked artery affects blood supply to the arms, hands and legs. Procedures at our Dallas heart hospital to treat this type of peripheral artery disease include extremity stenting (redirecting blood supply around an obstructed artery) and extremity bypass surgery (grafting a vein from another part of the body and connecting it to the blocked artery above and below the obstruction).
Learn more about PADThrombolysis procedures
When deep vein thrombosis limits blood flow to the arms or legs, creating a blood clot, vascular surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas perform two procedures—percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy and surgical venous thrombectomy. These vascular surgery procedures involve inserting a guide wire in the affected vein to open the blocked area and administering drugs through the catheter to dissolve clot fragments.
Learn more about thrombolysisVaricose vein procedures
Varicose leg veins are another relatively common condition associated with peripheral artery disease. Vascular surgery treatment options for varicose veins include minimally invasive ablation, an outpatient surgical procedure to destroy varicose veins with bursts of radiofrequency or laser energy; vein stripping surgery to remove large varicose veins and alleviate painful leg symptoms; and a related vascular procedure known as stab phlebectomy, creating small incisions in the skin to remove varicose veins.
Learn more about varicose vein procedures