At University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center, treating patients with blood vessel disorders means utilizing a top team to save limbs—and lives
By Laura Briedis
Combining advanced medical knowledge, specialized skills and a compassionate approach to patient care, the vascular specialists at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with conditions that affect the body’s blood vessels.
Given the fact that if you were to line up all the blood vessels end-to-end in an average body, they would stretch across an astounding 60,000 miles, it is no wonder problems arise in the arteries and veins, as well as in the miniscule capillaries.
Providing expert care close to home, physicians at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center treat all blood vessel disorders, from life-threatening aortic aneurysms and deep vein thrombosis to peripheral artery disease and chronic venous insufficiencies, to blood clotting disorders and non-healing wounds.
“One of the most common conditions we treat at Geauga Medical Center is non-healing wounds—secondary to poor blood flow—so we work in our cath labs to re-establish blood flow to the lower leg or foot,” says Clint Oommen, MD, an interventional cardiologist and endovascular specialist at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute who sees patients at Geauga Medical Center. “We use many tools, including stents and balloons, to re-establish blood flow, with lower extremity interventions. It is our goal to try to avoid amputation, as the prognosis for patients is poor once they get an amputation. When we can save a patient’s leg and they can continue to be mobile and do the things they love to do, it is life-affirming.”
Just one of a few specialized programs that exist in the United States, University Hospitals’ Limb Salvage and Amputation Prevention Program provides limb preservation and lifesaving results for patients with blood flow blockages in the legs.
“We take a multidisciplinary approach to make sure we identify alternative treatments for patients whose limbs can be salvaged,” says Dr. Oommen, who has expertise in limb salvage and amputation prevention for patients with advanced vascular disease. “There is almost always an option, as amputation should be the last consideration.”
University Hospitals Limb Salvage Advisory Council is comprised of vascular surgeons, endovascular interventionalists, vascular medicine specialists, podiatrists and wound care experts—including multiple physicians from each specialty to ensure that different points of view are considered. This professional collaboration leads to more potential treatment options.
“By having multiple physicians review a patient’s case, we can find ways to revascularize the patient, thus avoiding amputations,” says Dr. Oommen, who has authored articles in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, and Circulation. “We also are participating in a number of clinical trials and advancing care for patients.”
Are You Suffering from Leg Pain?
Don’t dismiss leg pain as just part of normal aging, as it could be a sign of something more serious. If you have persistent leg pain or discomfort, ask your primary healthcare provider for a referral for vascular testing.
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute offers multiple vascular testing locations throughout Northeast Ohio, including at UH Geauga Medical Center in Chardon.
These vascular laboratories perform noninvasive testing, which helps detect and localize blocked arteries and veins, and provides information to aid in the treatment of vascular disease. They are staffed with certified registered vascular technologists and certified registered physicians in vascular interpretation to ensure quality care.
Call 440-901-6229 for more details.
University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center is located at 13207 Ravenna Road in Chardon. For more information, call 440-901-6229 or visit UHhospitals.org/Geauga.