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. Georgia has 131 practicing vascular surgeons. Broken out by city, vascular surgery doctor density in Albany is 5, in Alpharetta is 6, in Athens is 6, in Atlanta is 36, in Augusta is 12, in Austell is 13, in Canton is 1, in Cartersville is 1, in Columbus is 3, in Conyers is 1, in Cordele is 2, in Covington is 1, in Cumming is 3, in Dalton is 3, in Decatur is 6, in Douglasville is 8, in Duluth is 1, in East Point is 5, in Ellijay is 1, in Fayetteville is 2, in Gainesville is 4, in Gay is 1, in Hiram is 3, in Lagrange is 1, in Lawrenceville is 5, in Lilburn is 1, in Lithonia is 1, in Macon is 6, in Marietta is 16, in Moultrie is 1, in Peachtree City is 1, in Riverdale is 1, in Rome is 6, in Roswell is 1, in Savannah is 11, in Snellville is 2, in Stockbridge is 5, in Thomaston is 1, in Tifton is 4, in Tucker is 2, in Valdosta is 2, in Villa Rica is 1, and in Waycross is 1.

Georgia is rich in history, from its statehood in 1788, to its tobacco plantations, to its civil rights memorials. Atlanta is its vibrant capital city, and it offers a myriad of music, arts, sports and nightlife. While in Atlanta, visit the world’s largest aquarium, the Woodruff Arts Center, or the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Ride the Old Town Trolley in Savannah, and listen to some live jazz and blues at one of Savannah’s many festivals. Georgia’s mountain parks offer hiking, biking, climbing, and other outdoor activities. On Georgia’s coastline, you can go boating, deep sea fishing or kayaking in the Atlantic. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge draws many visitors yearly.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Georgia has a population of 9,072,576. Of this population, 2,319,806 are under the age of 18 and 865,997 are at or above the age of 65.