What is a vascular surgeon?
Vascular surgeons are specialists who are highly trained to treat diseases of the vascular system. Your blood vessels –arteries carrying oxygen-rich blood and veins carrying blood back to the heart — are the roadways of your circulatory system. Without smoothly flowing blood, your body cannot function. Conditions such as hardening of the arteries can create “traffic jams” in your circulatory system, obstructing blood flow to any body part.
A vascular surgeon does far more than surgery.
A vascular surgeon ensures patients with vascular health issues know and understand all their options. In short, vascular surgeons can do surgery, but they see and treat many patients who don’t require surgery. Many vascular problems can be treated with medication or exercise. As one vascular surgeon explained – “I spend 80 percent of my time trying to talk my patients out of having surgery.”

A vascular surgeon can do every kind of procedure.
Some specialists specialize in one or two kinds of vascular interventions, so their patients tend to get those treatments. Vascular surgeons are trained in open, complicated surgery and minimally invasive endovascular procedures. Some patients need one, some need the other, and many need no surgery. Vascular surgeons are “treatment agnostic,” so they don’t prefer any treatment over another. Patients can be assured they will get the best treatment for their needs.

A vascular surgeon builds relationships with patients.
Some surgeons come into your life to perform a procedure, make sure you heal, and then leave; that’s their role—a vascular surgeon maybe someone who treats you continuously for decades. A vascular surgeon often has long-term relationships with patients because vascular disease can be long-term. If you have vascular disease, you can trust a vascular surgeon to care about your long-term health and consider all your options.