The GW Hospital Vascular Surgery Program

If you have vascular disease, the Vascular Surgery Program at The George Washington University Hospital can help by combining surgical expertise with advanced technology and procedures to promptly diagnose and treat a comprehensive range of vascular disorders.

Vascular surgeons at GW hospital use a patient-centered approach and new, minimally invasive procedures to help promote excellent outcomes and rapid recovery.

Saving Lives and Limbs

Vascular disorders could result in fatal or disabling strokes, or aneurysms. The Vascular Surgery Program at GW Hospital has the advanced equipment that physicians need to focus on early detection, treatment and prevention of circulatory problems.

Limb amputation can be a major complication for patients who have diabetes, peripheral artery disease, kidney problems or another complex condition that impairs circulation. The staff at the GW Hospital Vascular Surgery Program works to treat vascular disorders and help prevent such amputations.

Minimally Invasive Techniques

The limb healing team at The George Washington University Hospital uses aggressive medical therapies to treat chronic diseases and related complications in a patient's legs, such as nerve damage, infections, wounds or gangrene.

As part of the treatment process, doctors may perform minimally invasive catheter-based procedures, and use balloons, stents or other devices to restore blood flow to the legs. Minimally invasive procedures are not the right choice for every patient, so in some cases, surgeons may need to perform traditional surgery to bypass blockages in the legs.

Bypass Surgery

Bypass surgery in the leg is very similar to coronary artery bypass surgery. Doctors typically take a healthy section of a patient's blood vessel, called a graft, from a different part of his or her body, and connect the healthy blood vessel to above and below the blockage. Blood then flows through the healthy vessel, bypassing the blocked area.