Bypass Surgery

Bypass Surgery services offered in Sarasota, FL

When leg pain persists despite non-surgical care, or you have advanced vascular disease, you may need peripheral artery bypass surgery. The board-certified vascular surgeons at Sarasota Vascular Specialists combine their surgical skills with extensive experience in bypass surgery to restore normal leg circulation. If you have leg pain, fatigue, or heaviness, don't wait to seek a complete vascular evaluation. Call the office in Sarasota, Florida, or book an appointment online today.

Bypass Surgery Q & A

What is peripheral artery bypass surgery?

Peripheral artery bypass surgery, also called lower extremity bypass, restores normal blood flow by rerouting blood around blocked arteries in your leg. You may also hear the procedure called by different names, such as femoral-popliteal (fem-pop) and femoral-tibial (fem-tib) bypass surgery.

When would I need peripheral bypass surgery?

Sarasota Vascular Specialists may recommend bypass surgery to treat advanced peripheral artery disease (PAD) or as part of limb salvage surgery.

PAD develops gradually as cholesterol and other fats build up in the artery wall. Over the years, more fats and other substances like calcium accumulate in the plaque.

The larger the plaque gets, the more it blocks blood flow through the artery. As a result, muscles, skin, and other essential tissues don’t get the oxygen and nutrients they need to function and survive.

When the artery becomes substantially narrowed, the impaired circulation causes symptoms such as:

Leg pain or cramping when walking (the pain improves with rest)
Leg fatigue or weakness
One foot colder than the other
Poor hair growth on the affected leg
Non-healing sores on your lower leg

As PAD progresses, leg pain occurs even when resting and the loss of oxygen leads to non-healing leg ulcers. In severe cases, tissues die, and gangrene develops, putting you at risk of needing an amputation.

What happens during peripheral artery bypass surgery?

Your vascular surgeon redirects blood around the fatty plaque by sewing a healthy blood vessel into the artery. They attach the new vessel above and below the blocked area, allowing blood to flow through the graft and bypass the plaque.

Whenever possible, your surgeon takes a small piece of vein from one of your legs and uses it during your bypass surgery. If they can't use a vein, they use an artificial graft.

What should I expect after bypass surgery?

You should expect to have pain along the incision for about a week. Most patients need to recover at home for a few weeks, with full recovery taking up to 12 weeks. However, leg swelling may last for several months.

Your Sarasota Vascular Specialists provider gives you specific instructions about caring for the incision and the activities you need to limit while your leg heals. They also closely monitor the graft with vascular ultrasound.

If you have signs of PAD, call Sarasota Vascular Specialists or book an appointment online today.