Vascular Surgery: Saving Limbs, Saving Lives
Do you have bulging veins on your calves or ankles? Or do you feel pain in your legs while walking? These signs aren’t just age catching up — they could be early warnings of blocked blood vessels in your limbs.
What Is Vascular Surgery?
Vascular surgery is a specialised branch that treats diseases of the blood vessels in the body, except those of the heart and brain.
Blood vessels include arteries and veins, where arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to various body parts, and veins bring deoxygenated blood back. When blood flow is blocked or restricted, it can lead to severe complications like stroke or gangrene.
“Vascular surgeons are experts who ensure smooth blood flow to prevent strokes and limb loss.”
What Diseases Are Treated Under Vascular Surgery?
Varicose Veins
Symptoms of varicose veins
- Heaviness or aching sensation in the calves
- Bulging, bluish-purple veins are visible on the legs and ankles
What’s happening in the body?
- The one-way valves in the leg veins become weak
- This causes blood to pool in the veins instead of flowing back to the heart
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
Symptoms of PAD:
- Pain in the legs while walking, relieved by rest (claudication)
What’s happening in the body?
- Plaque builds up in the arteries over time (atherosclerosis)
- This leads to the progressive narrowing of the vessels
- Reduced blood flow causes oxygen deprivation in tissues (ischaemia)
Carotid Artery Disease (CAD)
Symptoms of carotid disease:
- Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body
- Episodes of dizziness, headache, slurred speech
- In severe cases, transient episodes of stroke or similar symptoms
What’s happening in the body?
- Plaque buildup narrows the carotid arteries in the neck
- This reduces blood flow to the brain, increasing the risk of stroke
Aneurysm
Symptoms of aneurysms:
- Throbbing or pulsating lump in the abdomen or behind the knee
- If ruptured: dizziness, shortness of breath, cold skin, unconsciousness
What’s happening in the body?
- Bulging or ballooning of a weakened artery wall
- If it ruptures, it causes internal bleeding and life-threatening shock
Diabetic Foot
Symptoms of diabetic foot:
- Painful, non-healing foot sores or ulcers in diabetic patients
What’s happening in the body?
- Poor circulation and nerve damage due to diabetes (neuropathy)
- Impaired wound healing and higher risk of infection
- Tissue death may occur, leading to black discolouration (gangrene)
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
Symptoms of DVT:
- Swelling in the affected leg with pain
- Leg feels cool to the touch
What’s happening in the body?
- Blood clots form in deep veins, often in the legs
- Clots can travel to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism
With the right treatment, many conditions are manageable—some even reversible.
Join us on this journey to discover how timely interventions can help prevent stroke or amputation. Stay tuned for the next article in this series.