Vascular

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Vascular Institute is a specialist unit providing diagnosis and surgical treatment of disorders of the blood vessels. This includes varicose veins, blood clots, aneurysms and atherosclerosis.

It is home to a team of specialists including vascular surgeons, physicians, specialised nurses and radiologists.

The Department is the hub of the South West Thames Vascular Network which provides emergency and elective services to people living across southwest London and Surrey. The ‘spoke’ hospitals are Epsom, East Surrey, Kingston, and Mayday. The Network was set up in 1999, one of the first in the country, and has developed to be one of the biggest in the UK.

The service has been designed to streamline the patient journey with consultants from the ‘spoke’ hospitals providing outpatient services locally, and complex elective surgery taking place at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 90 per cent of patients are seen at their local hospital. The outpatient clinics at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust offer a one-stop diagnostic service for people living near the hospital.

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Vascular Department has an international reputation in the treatment of complex aortic and carotid disease. It has a special interest in minimally invasive procedures (sometimes called ‘keyhole’ surgery), including:

• Peripheral angioplasty
• Stenting
• Endovascular aneurysm repair.

Death rates from surgery carried out in the Unit is well below the national average, with patient outcomes improving year on year. St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Vascular Institute offers pioneering treatments for many conditions and has played a leading role in national investigations into new treatments for aneurysms and carotid disease.

The service continues to develop and new initiatives include laser treatment of varicose veins and treats patients from across south east England for thoracic aneurysms, lymphoedema and arterio-venous malformations. The Institute has a well developed research programme.