Question 1

What is Vascular Surgery?

Accepted Answer

Vascular Surgery focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and conditions affecting the vascular and circulatory system (which includes the arteries, veins, and lymphatic vessels) throughout the body. Our vascular surgeons perform a wide range of surgical procedures and treatments to help patients. You can visit our medical conditions page on this website to read about the comprehensive range of conditions our vascular surgeons can treat. And what is most exciting for us is that under each medical condition we have added a new case study section for you to understand more about the condition and the treatment/procedure performed by our doctors.

Question 2

How is Vascular Surgery performed?

Accepted Answer

Vascular surgery can be performed using open surgical techniques, where the vascular surgeon makes larger incisions to directly access the affected blood vessels, or minimally invasive endovascular techniques, which involve small incisions and the use of catheters and other specialized instruments.

Question 3

What is Endovascular Surgery and how is it different from Vascular Surgery?

Accepted Answer

Endovascular surgery is a minimally invasive approach in which the vascular surgeon accesses the vascular system through small incisions, typically in the groin or arm. The vascular surgeon then utilises catheter-based techniques to address the vascular issues and perform the necessary procedures within the blood vessels.

This differs from open surgical procedures that the vascular surgeon performs to directly access and treat the affected blood vessels. The choice between these two approaches often depends on the specific condition, the patient’s overall health, and the expertise of the vascular surgeon.

We have prepared this video to help you understand better what endovascular surgery is. Video on Endovascular Procedures Explained

Question 4

What are the key factors a patient should consider when choosing a Vascular Surgeon?

Accepted Answer

When choosing a vascular surgeon, there are several key factors that patients should consider. He/she should look for a vascular surgeon who is MOH-accredited and has extensive experience performing the specific procedure he/she may require. The patients can ask about the surgeon’s training, the number of procedures they perform annually, and their track record of successful outcomes.

Patients may also wish to choose a vascular surgeon who has good communication, who takes the time to listen to the concerns of the patient, and can explain the procedure and risks in a way the patient can understand. Most importantly, patients should choose a vascular surgeon with whom they have a good rapport with and trust in.

Question 5

How do the recovery times for these minimally invasive endovascular procedures compare to traditional open surgical approaches?

Accepted Answer

The recovery times for minimally invasive endovascular procedures are generally much shorter compared to traditional open surgical approaches.
For open surgical approaches, it often requires a large incision to access the affected blood vessel. This usually means that patients may require hospitalisation of 3-5 days and recovery maybe a month before returning to normal activities. For open surgical approaches, there is also an increased risk of infection, blood loss, and longer-term scarring.

On the other hand, in minimally invasive endovascular procedures, the vascular surgeon accesses the blood vessel through a small incision. This results in reduced tissue trauma and lower risk of complications for the patient. Patients can often resume normal activities within one week. More recently most of these minimally invasive endovascular procedures can be performed as day surgery procedures not requiring hospitalisation.

Question 6

Why did we build our own dedicated in-house angiosuite?

Accepted Answer

We decided to develop and build our own in-house angiosuite (a specialised vascular imaging and procedure operating theatre) because we want the best for our patients:

1) Improved imaging quality and guidance for our patients . An angiosuite is equipped with advanced fluoroscopic imaging systems that can provide high-resolution, real-time visualization of blood vessels during minimally invasive procedures. This greatly enhances our vascular surgeons’ ability to accurately navigate catheters and devices to the target area.
2) Expanded treatment options for our patients. The specialized equipment and infrastructure of an angiosuite enables the performance of a wider range of complex endovascular interventions for our vascular surgeons.
3) Enhanced patient experience. Our dedicated angiosuite is designed with patient comfort and safety in mind. Features like adjustable lighting, monitors, and patient positioning equipment. This can help make the procedure less intimidating for our patients.
4) Significant convenience for our patients. They do not have to be transported to a separate facility for their vascular procedure/s. Everything can be done in one familiar location, saving them time and potential logistical challenges.

Question 7

Will my day surgery procedure be covered by my insurance?

Accepted Answer

The coverage for day surgery procedures that do not require hospitalization can vary depending on your specific insurance policy. But our experience so far has been positive. Our patients on personal integrated shield plans and corporate insurance plans mostly have no problems getting coverage for their day surgery procedures with no hospitalization as long as their procedures are deemed medically indicated and necessary.

You may wish to note that depending on your specific policy, you may still be responsible for meeting your annual deductible or be required to pay a co-pay percentage for the day surgery procedure.

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