Advancements in Vascular Disease Treatment: Tata Main Hospital Leads the Way

Modern medical science’s evolving focus on vascular diseases highlights the importance of specialized care in managing blood vessel-related conditions, with Tata Main Hospital pioneering such efforts in Jharkhand.

Tata Main Hospital in Jharkhand has established a fully functional Vascular Surgery Unit, providing specialized care for vascular diseases and saving many lives and limbs.

Dr Prashant Raman

Consultant, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Tata Main Hospital

As medical science is evolving day by day, it is the adding up new super specializations. Modern medicine is observing the body systems more minutely and taking the management of different diseases more specifically. One specialty we are discussing today is vascular diseases.

Vascular diseases are the pathologies of the vascular system. Vascular system is a term given to the blood vessels and channels that carry blood and lymphatics to and from the heart to the various parts of the body.

Vascular diseases in broader sense are the diseases of these vessels and has been classified into the Arterial (the one carrying blood away from the heart), Venous (those carrying towards heart) and the lymphatic system (concerned with carrying larger molecules).

The diseases can arise due to blockage arising in them due to various causes, vessel wall pathologies and due to traumatic injuries.

The blood vessels are essential for carrying oxygen and nutrients to various organs of the body and hence any cut off of the supply or impaired blood flow are associated with grim outcomes if not intervened in time.

The common conditions which are attributed to vascular diseases are diabetes mellitus, hypertension, sedentary lifestyle and smoking.

The usual presenting symptoms of arterial diseases are pain on walking which gradually becomes disabling and may lead to rest pain as well as gangrene.

Whereas venous diseases may present as acute onset of severe pain and swelling of a limb, persistent limb swelling/ nagging dull aching pain, dilated tortuous visible veins, discoloration of legs and non-healing/ weeping ulcer.

A major concerning area of this discipline is traumatic injuries to major blood vessels which leads to acute cut off of blood supply to a part of the body. If not addressed in time (usually 6 hours is considered as golden period) may lead to loss of whole or a part of the limb. Early detection and referral of such patients by the first point of contact (health care provider) is of utmost importance.

The Vascular specialist are the clinicians who take special training to treat such diseases. They are competent in medical management as well as surgical interventions. They are equally trained in open surgeries as well as endovascular management of various conditions and this makes them different from other specialties which offer only one of the modalities.

Tata Main Hospital is the first institution in Jharkhand to start a fully functional Vascular Surgery Unit. In the past 6 months many limbs and life have been saved through prompt Vascular surgical intervention.