Vascular surgery is surgery to treat disorders and diseases of the vascular system. A vascular surgeon performs surgery on patients with diseases, disorders, or inflammation of the veins and arteries. These diseases of the blood vessels can include vasculitis, aneurysms, ischemia, thrombosis, varicose veins, and immune system abnormalities.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Vascular Problems, varicose veins, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Peripheral Arterial Disease, pulmonary embolism, retinopathy, Renal Artery Disease, Mesenteric ischemia, Venous disease, Stasis dermatitis, Carotid Artery Disease, cerebrovascular disease, Varicosities, Arteriosclerosis of the extremities, Carotid Endarterectomies, Chronic limb ischemia, Arterial and Femoral Endarterectomies, Acute limb ischemia, abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, and Arterial diseases.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including vascular surgery, arterial surgery, venous surgery, and deep vein surgery.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), Echocardiogram, angiography, Photoplethysmography (PPG), Transcranial Doppler (TCD), Doppler Ultrasound, duplex scan, Doppler arterial exams, Noninvasive lab testing, Inferior vena cava scan, Vein mapping, Duplex ultrasound scan, Exercise testing for claudication, and Artery mapping.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Kentucky has 93 practicing vascular surgeons. Broken out by city, vascular surgery doctor density in Ashland is 4, in Bowling Green is 2, in Carrollton is 2, in Cold Spring is 1, in Covington is 2, in Edgewood is 11, in Elizabethtown is 3, in Florence is 3, in Fort Mitchell is 3, in Frankfort is 1, in Georgetown is 2, in Harlan is 2, in Hartford is 1, in Hazard is 2, in Hopkinsville is 1, in Lexington is 22, in Louisville is 18, in Madisonville is 3, in Mayfield is 1, in Middlesboro is 1, in Monticello is 1, in Morehead is 3, in Mount Sterling is 1, in Murray is 1, in Owensboro is 10, in Paducah is 7, in Paris is 1, in Pikeville is 1, in Prestonsburg is 1, in Russell Springs is 1, in Somerset is 1, and in Williamstown is 1.

Kentucky is known for its thoroughbred horses, tobacco and bourbon, but there’s much more. The Kentucky parks system draw thousands of visitors each year for swimming, boating, hiking, biking, and picnicking. The capital city is Frankfort, and has many historic homes and sites to visit, including the Old Governor’s Mansion, the Capital City Museum, and the Liberty Hall Historic Site. Visitors can explore a cave in Mammoth Cave National Park, or when in Louisville, hear authentic bluegrass music. Famous people born in Kentucky are former president Abraham Lincoln, fighter Muhammad Ali, and actor Johnny Depp.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Kentucky has a population of 4,173,405. Of this population, 959,891 are under the age of 18 and 522,811 are at or above the age of 65.