Vascular surgery

Surgical treatments for vascular conditions in Denver

At HealthONE's hospitals in and near Denver, treatment for vascular conditions starts with prevention. This means we treat all of the problems related to your condition, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol. To do this, we provide high-quality, individualized treatment options for all patients with vascular disease.

To learn more about HealthONE's vascular services, call (303) 575-0055.

Vascular care services we provide

Also called "blood vessels," veins and arteries are vital structures that bring blood to every part of the body. When these blood vessels become damaged or clogged, oxygen-rich blood does not circulate the body as needed. This can result in vascular disorders or diseases that may lead to serious health complications, such as stroke.

Vascular disorders and diseases we treat

Vascular disease can impact the veins and arteries that carry oxygen and nutrients to all the cells in your body. However, not all blood vessel conditions require surgical treatments. Many are managed through medications and lifestyle modification.

Types of vascular conditions we treat include:

Understanding and treating varicose veins

Sometimes referred to as spider veins, varicose veins are very common in adults, affecting twice as many women as men. Age is a leading risk factor—people 50 years old and older are much more susceptible to developing varicose veins. Genetic disposition also affects your chances of developing varicose veins.

Our surgeons use a variety of laser and catheter-based techniques to effectively treat varicose veins.

Our vascular screening services

Vascular diseases are dangerous and may not have apparent symptoms the way other diseases do. In fact, many people might not know they need to see a vascular specialist or be aware of the preventive steps they can take to reduce their risk of vascular disease. This makes an accurate diagnosis critical, which is why we use a wide range of tests to accurately diagnose vascular conditions.

These diagnostics include:

• Angiography (X-rays of the blood vessels or heart)
• Abdominal aorta ultrasound
• Arterial ultrasound
• Carotid artery ultrasound
• Cerebral angiogram
• Cerebrospinal fluid examination
• Computed tomography (CT) angiogram
• Echocardiogram
• Electromyography (EMG)
• Exercise ankle-brachial index
• Graft surveillance
• Heart catheterization (If needed, this catheter-based intervention can also be used to treat and remove plaque buildup in your heart’s arteries.)
• Intra-operative duplex ultrasonography
• Lymphangiogram
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) angiography
• Peripheral artery ultrasound
• Pulse volume recordings
• Renal artery ultrasound
• Stress tests
• Transcutaneous oximetry
• Vein mapping
• Venography
• Venous reflux testing
• Venous ultrasound

Vascular and endovascular surgical procedures we offer

In many cases, vascular conditions can be treated without large surgical incisions. We offer a number of minimally invasive surgical procedures that allow this and can reduce your recovery times.

Minimally invasive and traditional open-surgeries we use to treat vascular conditions include:

• Bypass surgery and endovascular therapy for peripheral artery disease and gangrene of the limbs
• Carotid endarterectomy, carotid artery stenting and transcervical carotid stenting
• Endovascular and open surgical reconstruction for deep vein occlusions
• Endovascular and open surgical treatment for peripheral artery aneurysms
• Endovascular or open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms, thoracic aortic aneurysms and thoracoabdominal aneurysms, including fenestrated stent grafts
• Endovascular repair of thoracic aortic dissections
• Endovenous laser therapy treatment or perforator surgery for varicose veins and venous ulcers
• Hemodialysis access, including femoral vein fistulas
• Open surgical reconstructions and endovascular surgical interventions, such as balloon angioplasty and stenting in all vascular areas
• Treatment of carotid body tumors and other vascular tumors
• Treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome

Our vascular rehabilitation programs

Patients with circulatory problems—such as PAD—that limit walking ability may experience pain, cramping, burning and a tired feeling in the legs after walking even short distances. To help with this, our rehab programs focus on education and activities related to all aspects of your vascular health, such as:

• Behavioral counseling
• Exercise therapy
• Nutrition
• Risk factor reduction
• Smoking cessation
• Stress management

Your therapy plan is designed for you by the vascular rehabilitation team. Typically, the exercise plan begins with individualized and monitored exercise two to three times a week and then leads to behavioral reinforcement and ongoing support.

Peripheral artery recovery programs

The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recommend combating PAD with a supervised walking program. We assist patients with motivation and coaching during supervised treadmill-walking exercises. These exercises are designed to improve muscle tone, function and walking distance.

Some of the many benefits of these programs include:

• Improved quality of life and stress management
• Improved walking distance (endurance) in patients
• Increased muscular endurance and strength
• Reduced chance of hospitalization
• Reduced risk of PAD progression and thereby reduced cardiovascular risk factors

Wound care and limb preservation programs

At our wound care centers, we provide advanced limb preservation care for patients with extremity wounds and serious traumatic injuries. This supports one of the major goals of our vascular programs, which is to reduce the need for amputation by providing early intervention for patients with vascular disease.