Vascular Surgery at Mission Hospital

If you require surgery due to vascular disease, it's comforting to know that Mission Hospital's Vascular Surgery Services offer advanced care, close to home.

Mission Hospital and the Vascular Center staff have made a commitment to providing high quality vascular care. The result of that commitment is an unrivaled facility and staff along with advanced technology that is easily accessible by the people of Western North Carolina.

Vascular disease includes any condition that affects your circulatory system. This ranges from diseases of your arteries, veins and lymph vessels to blood disorders that affect circulation. Mission's team of vascular surgeons has extensive experience in diagnosing and treating common problems such as:

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) - an enlargement of the lower part of the aorta, the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body, that extends through the abdominal area. AAA repair is a surgical procedure in which this bulging and weakened area of the aorta is corrected. This procedure is frequently done endovascularly (a minimally invasive method).
Carotid artery stenosis - a condition that narrows the passageways of the carotid arteries, which bring blood to the brain, often leading to stroke. Treatment may include a carotid endarterectomy - a procedure to remove blockages in carotid arteries. In this surgery, an incision is made and the artery is clamped while plaque is removed. The artery is reinforced with a cardiovascular fabric patch and then unclamped.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) - lower extremity vascular disease, atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries - a disorder that occurs in the arteries of the circulatory system affecting the arms and legs. Advanced PAD may require surgery such as angioplasty (to widen or clear the blocked vessel), angioplasty with stent placement (to support the cleared vessel and keep it open), or atherectomy (to remove the blockage). In some cases, surgical procedures such as peripheral artery bypass surgery may be performed to reroute blood flow around the blood vessel blockage.

In addition, because the vascular staff focuses only on vascular disease, they have developed a high level of proficiency in handling more rare conditions including:

Renal artery stenosis - a disease of the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys
Mesenteric ischemia - occurs when blood flow to the bowel or gastrointestinal system (intestines) is decreased because of a blood vessel blockage
Arterial dissections - a condition that forces the layers of the walls of arteries (frequently the aorta) apart through increased blood flow

Diagnostic procedures, including radiographic diagnostics, are all performed within the Vascular Center.

Mission Hospital's Vascular Center

Together with the physicians of Carolina Vascular, Mission Hospital has developed a unique facility for the care of patients with vascular disease.

Mission Hospital's Vascular Center, a 9,600-square-foot facility, was the first in the nation to create and use a special diagnostic/interventional/operative suite. These capabilities allow surgeons to diagnose and repair the diseased veins or arteries in the same visit. The Vascular Center treats roughly 1,500 peripheral vascular cases each year.

Two operating rooms have been constructed that allow for open vascular surgery and x-ray guided, minimally invasive procedures ("endovascular surgery"). Often, patients will require a combination of techniques. These two "hybrid" operating rooms allow our physicians, nurses, and technicians to fully utilize their considerable skills.
The Vascular Center's capabilities and features also include:

Advanced technology
Special operating tables (including a table designed by the Center's surgeons)
Highly skilled vascular nurses and technicians
Six-bed dedicated pre-op and post-op unit
Four-bed ICU immediately adjacent to the operating rooms
Nine-bed step down unit including continuous cardiac monitoring, specialized nursing, dedicated social services, and quality wound care

Contact Mission Hospitals Vascular Service Center

The vascular center is located on the St Joseph Campus of Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC.

For more information about Mission's Vascular Surgery Services and Center, e-mail us at Vicki.Arnold@msj.org