Blog Archive
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), is a common circulatory disorder that affects the blood vessels outside the heart and brain, particularly the arteries that supply blood to the limbs, such as the legs and arms. Here are some important things people should know about PAD:1. Symptoms: Early stages of PAD may...
A common and potentially life-threatening condition that can be seen in vascular surgery is the formation of blood clots in the veins called a deep venous thrombosis or DVT. DVT occurs when blood clots form in the deep veins, typically in the legs, obstructing the flow of blood back to...
Introduction: In the bustling world of medical conditions, one often-overlooked but highly prevalent disorder is peripheral vascular disease (PVD). This condition affects the blood vessels outside the heart and brain, limiting the flow of blood to the arms, legs, and organs. While various risk factors contribute to PVD, such as...
Varicose veins are enlarged, swollen, and sometimes painful veins close to the surface of the skin that often appear on people's thighs, calves, and ankles. These veins develop due to a diagnosis called chronic venous insufficiency, which is more heavily reviewed in one of our previous blog posts. In short,...
Lower extremity edema, the medical term for swelling, can have many causes. Bilateral leg edema can arise from problems related to the heart, kidneys, or liver. Lymphedema is defined as the abnormal accumulation of protein rich fluid, called lymph, in the extremities that occurs due to injury, infection, or congenital...
What is venous insufficiency? Venous insufficiency, also known as venous reflux disease, refers to the dysfunction or leakage of the “one way check valves” in our veins. Our blood vessels function as a circuit. The arteries deliver oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to our tissues, and our veins work as the return...
An arterial aneurysm is defined as an abnormal enlargement of a vessel greater than or equal to 150% of its normal size. For abdominal aortic aneurysms, this is equal to 3cm or greater in most adults. Why isthis important? Because the aorta is the biggest blood vessel in the body,...
At Vascular Surgery Associates, we operate as a multidisciplinary team to provide the most efficient and well-rounded care to our patients. This brings to attention the role of PAs in our practice. If you are a current patient of VSA, you have likely been seen and treated by one of our...
Carotid Artery Disease Specialist - located throughout Maryland: Vascular Surgery Associates, LLC: Vascular Surgery The leading cause of death in our country is cardiovascular disease. This category includes heart disease, which is the leading cause of death both internationally and in America, as well as stroke, which is the second...
“It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.” REM We live in a world that is changing at a faster rate than perhaps any other era since the dawn of time. This an exciting time, but for every advance comes potential peril. We have...
Vascular surgeons….few people know what we do until they need us. Wound care would be one of the best examples of a service provided by a diverse team of nurses, advanced practitioners, medical doctors and surgeons for everything from slow to heal minor traumatic wounds to complex chronic ulcerations. To...
Diabetes, and the complications that come with its natural history, entwine with morbidity and mortality data that, unfortunately, have not improved over several decades. In fact, in my experience, prevalence rates of such adverse outcomes across the globe continue to rise. There are persistent commonalities in the data that, when...
Atherosclerosis – that’s a fancy $100 word that is medical jargon for a common problem known as “hardening of the arteries.” Much of what our practice does is deal with the consequences of this disease, as the clogging, blocking, and breakdown effect it has on the body’s blood vessels can...
What is vascular surgeon and why would you need to see one? A vascular surgeon is a doctor who did a specialized surgical training program in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of arteries and veins. Technically we are peripheral vascular surgeons in that we treat peripheral vessels and not...
Often times I see patients for foot and ankle issues, and at first glance, getting them better might seem simple to them. While some problems are not complicated, other ailments require lab work, imaging, and other specialized tests to get patients better. My name is Dr. Tammer Elmarsafi, and I...