4) Surgery
Your doctor may decide a need for bypass surgery in many situations, such as if most of the vessel is narrow or blocked, and if there are multiple areas of narrowing. Bypass surgery requires general anesthesia and a long hospital stay. In bypass surgery, the surgeon uses a graft (either part from a body vessel -like the greater saphenous vein- or synthetic vessel) to bypass the narrowing or blockage. The surgeon sutures the two ends of the graft before and after the obstruction, which allow the blood to reach the ischemic part and supplies the required oxygen and nutrients.
In peripheral vascular disease, the doctor will refer you to a surgeon for bypass surgery, only if your condition is severe and there is a high risk for tissue loss, and when the lifestyle modification, medication, and angioplasty failed to control the condition.
Amputation: In the case of gangrene, your doctor will refer you to a surgeon to remove the dead tissue to avoid further tissue loss and septicemia (spread of bacterial toxins from the dead tissue to the blood), which is a fatal condition.
Finally, peripheral vascular disease is a preventable disease; you can protect yourself by some lifestyle modifications, as we discussed before. It is never late to begin this modification; getting a healthy lifestyle can control the symptoms, improve the quality of life, and even reverse the condition. Don’t consider the symptoms of peripheral vascular disease a sign of aging and ignore it, especially if you have risk factors, but see your doctor and take his advice. Remember that the earlier the diagnosis, the more successful the management plan.
