Cardiovascular health doesn’t just include the heart – but the aorta, arteries and veins that supply the body with blood and oxygen. In addition to heart health diagnostics, treatments, and expert specialists and clinical teams, Wisconsin Heart Hospital Campus also offers diagnostics, interventional services and surgeries for vascular health. Many of the services bridge both heart and vascular issues.

Wheaton Franciscan Medical Group – Vascular Lab perform the following diagnostics in the adjacent Wisconsin Heart Hospital Campus Center of Excellence.

• Peripheral vascular study
• Intravascular ultrasound
• Vascular ultrasound
• Vascular angiography

Medical Management

Medications may be used as the sole treatment, or in combination with other treatments, to eliminate or control the effects of vascular disease. Medications that may be prescribed by your primary physician in concert with a vascular disease specialist include:

 Blood thinners to reduce the formation of blood clots and plaque

• Medications to enlarge (dilate) the affected artery or arteries
• Pain relievers

Wisconsin Heart Hospital Campus’s physician and clinical team treats vascular disease with the following minimally invasive, cardiac catheterization lab procedures:

• Angioplasty - also known as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is a procedure in which a narrowed section of the coronary artery is widened through the use of a balloon. Angioplasty is less invasive and has a shorter recovery time than bypass surgery
• Atherectomy - procedure to remove plaque from the arteries
• Stenting – a tiny mesh tube that is placed in the artery during angioplasty to keep the blocked or narrowed artery open

Vascular Surgeries

Our surgeons perform the following vascular procedures:

AAA stent grafting
Abdominal Aorta Aneurysm stent grafting is performed to fix a bulge in the larger artery that supplies blood to the abdomen, pelvis, and legs. Your surgeon will then replace the part of the aorta that has the aneurysm with a long tube graft. This tube graft is made from man-made (synthetic) cloth and is sewn in with sutures. In some cases, the ends of the tube graft will be tunneled through each groin and attached to the leg vessels.


Peripheral vascular surgery
Peripheral vascular bypass surgery is performed to restore blood flow in the veins and arteries of people who have peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a form of peripheral vascular disease (PVD). A peripheral vascular bypass, also called a lower extremity bypass, is the surgical rerouting of blood flow around an obstructed artery that supplies blood to the legs and feet.


Carotid surgery
Carotid surgery is performed to restore blood flow to the brain due to blockages in or a narrowing of the carotid artery. The procedure may be an endarterectomy – in which the surgeon will open up and remove the plaque from the impacted artery. Or, an angioplasty with stent insertion may be used to open up the narrowed passageway.


Thoracic aneurysm repair
When an abnormal widening of the aorta occurs in the chest, surgery or stenting may be options – depending on where the aorta is located.

For patients with aneurysms of the ascending aorta or aortic arch, surgery to replace the aorta is recommended if an aneurysm is larger than 5 - 6 centimeters. The aorta is replaced with a plastic or fabric graft. This is major surgery that requires a heart-lung machine.

For patients with aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta, major surgery is done to replace the aorta with a fabric graft if the aneurysm is larger than 6 centimeters. Endovascular stenting is a less invasive option. A stent is a tiny metal or plastic tube that is used to hold an artery open. Stents can be placed into the body without cutting the chest. Not all patients with descending thoracic aneurysms are candidates for stenting, however.

Endovascular laser surgery
Used to address varicose veins.


Renal artery stenting
Renal artery stenosis is a narrowing or blockage of the artery that supplies blood to the kidneys. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) occurs when a sticky, fatty substance called plaque builds up on the inner lining of the arteries. The plaque may slowly narrow or even block the renal (kidney) artery. Stenting places a tiny tube into the impacted artery to hold the structure open.


Intravascular access repair for renal fistula care
Our surgeons perform the following vascular procedures: Abdominal Aorta Aneurysm stent grafting is performed to fix a bulge in the larger artery that supplies blood to the abdomen, pelvis, and legs.

Your surgeon will then replace the part of the aorta that has the aneurysm with a long tube graft. This tube graft is made from man-made (synthetic) cloth and is sewn in with sutures. In some cases, the ends of the tube graft will be tunneled through each groin and attached to the leg vessels. Peripheral vascular bypass surgery is performed to restore blood flow in the veins and arteries of people who have peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a form of peripheral vascular disease (PVD). A peripheral vascular bypass, also called a lower extremity bypass, is the surgical rerouting of blood flow around an obstructed artery that supplies blood to the legs and feet. Carotid surgery is performed to restore blood flow to the brain due to blockages in or a narrowing of the carotid artery. The procedure may be an endardectomy – in which the surgeon will open up and remove the plaque from the impacted artery. Or, an angioplasty with stent insertion may be used to open up the narrowed passageway. When an abnormal widening of the aorta occurs in the chest, surgery or stenting may be options – depending on where the aorta is located. For patients with aneurysms of the ascending aorta or aortic arch, surgery to replace the aorta is recommended if an aneurysm is larger than 5 - 6 centimeters. The aorta is replaced with a plastic or fabric graft. This is major surgery that requires a heart-lung machine. For patients with aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta, major surgery is done to replace the aorta with a fabric graft if the aneurysm is larger than 6 centimeters.
 
Endovascular stenting is a less invasive option. A stent is a tiny metal or plastic tube that is used to hold an artery open. Stents can be placed into the body without cutting the chest. Not all patients with descending thoracic aneurysms are candidates for stenting, however. Used to address varicose veins. Renal artery stenosis is a narrowing or blockage of the artery that supplies blood to the kidneys.

Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) occurs when a sticky, fatty substance called plaque builds up on the inner lining of the arteries. The plaque may slowly narrow or even block the renal (kidney) artery. Stenting places a tiny tube into the impacted artery to hold the structure open.
 

Find a vascular surgeon who practices at Wheaton Franciscan - Wisconsin Heart Hospital Campus 

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