Vascular Surgery in Mumbai: A Surgeon's Guide

Vascular problems live at two very different ends of a spectrum. At one end are varicose veins — uncomfortable, unsightly, but rarely dangerous. At the other are blocked leg arteries and narrowed neck arteries that can cost someone a limb or cause a stroke. I treat both, and everything in between, and the earlier a patient comes to me, the more I can usually do with the least.

Vascular surgery is the care of the body's blood vessels — the arteries that carry oxygen-rich blood outward, and the veins that bring it back. When these vessels narrow, weaken, clot, or their valves fail, the effects can show up anywhere: the legs, the neck, the abdomen. My work is to restore that flow, relieve the symptoms, and head off the serious complications — often through a small puncture rather than a big operation.

It helps to picture the plumbing. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart under pressure. Veins carry the used blood back, helped by tiny one-way valves that stop it from draining backwards down the legs. Trouble starts when arteries get narrowed or weakened, or when those vein valves fail — and because this network reaches every corner of the body, the problem can surface almost anywhere.

My vascular practice covers a range of arterial and venous conditions, including:

• Varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency (failing vein valves in the legs)
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) — blood clots forming in the deep veins
• Peripheral artery disease (PAD) — narrowed leg arteries causing pain, cramps, or non-healing wounds
• Carotid artery disease — narrowing of the neck arteries, a major cause of stroke
• Acute limb ischaemia — a sudden blockage of an artery or vein by a clot or embolus

Varicose vein laser (EVLT)

Varicose veins are swollen, twisted veins — usually in the legs — caused by faulty valves that let blood pool. Beyond how they look, they can ache, feel heavy, swell, and eventually change the skin. My preferred treatment is endovenous laser (EVLT): through a tiny puncture, I gently seal the faulty vein from within. It's a day-care procedure, minimal scarring, and most patients walk out and back to routine quickly.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) treatment

A DVT is a clot in a deep vein, most often in the leg — it can cause sudden swelling, pain, and warmth, and if a piece breaks off and travels to the lungs it becomes a dangerous pulmonary embolism. I usually start treatment with blood-thinning medication and compression, and in more severe cases use a catheter-based intervention to clear or dissolve the clot. Treating it promptly is what prevents the serious complications.

Peripheral artery bypass

When the arteries feeding the legs get badly narrowed by plaque (peripheral artery disease), the classic sign is cramping leg pain on walking — and in advanced cases, pain at rest, ulcers that won't heal, or worse. When it's advanced, I perform a bypass: I reroute blood around the blockage with a graft, restoring circulation to the limb and helping prevent tissue loss.

Carotid endarterectomy

The carotid arteries in the neck feed the brain, and when they narrow, the stroke risk climbs sharply. In a carotid endarterectomy, I open the artery and remove the plaque, restoring smooth flow and substantially cutting the stroke risk — alongside medication and risk-factor control.

Supporting evidence: Carotid endarterectomy significantly reduces stroke risk in patients with severe symptomatic carotid narrowing — the landmark NASCET trial found a major reduction in stroke for 70–99% stenosis compared with medication alone — NASCET trial (NEJM)

Embolectomy / thrombectomy

When a clot or embolus suddenly blocks an artery, the limb is on the clock. Embolectomy and thrombectomy are operations to remove that clot and restore flow fast. Because these blockages are so time-critical, getting to surgery quickly gives the best chance of saving the limb.

Here's a quick overview of the vascular procedures I do most often:

Some vascular problems I can treat through tiny openings — laser for varicose veins, catheter-based treatment for deep vein clots — with less pain, minimal scarring, and a fast return to routine. Others genuinely need open surgery: a peripheral artery bypass, a carotid endarterectomy, or removing a sudden clot. There's no single “best” approach; the right one depends entirely on the condition, and I'll always tell you which is safest and most effective for your particular problem.

Come and get assessed if you notice cramping leg pain when walking that eases with rest, prominent or painful varicose veins, persistent leg swelling or heaviness, leg ulcers or wounds that won't heal, or cold, pale, or discoloured feet. Catching these early often prevents them from progressing to something far more serious.

Seek emergency care immediately for sudden severe leg pain with coldness or loss of colour (a possible arterial blockage), sudden painful leg swelling (a possible DVT), or stroke symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness, or slurred speech. These need urgent treatment — don't wait.

Vascular procedures are generally safe, and the minimally invasive ones in particular carry low short-term risk. As with any procedure, there's some possibility of bleeding, infection, or clotting. How well things go depends on the condition being treated, your overall health — diabetes and smoking matter a great deal here — and careful assessment beforehand. Choosing the right approach for each patient is what keeps the result safe and lasting.

Recovery depends heavily on the procedure. Minimally invasive treatments like varicose-vein laser usually allow same- or next-day walking and a return to routine within days. Open procedures such as a leg-artery bypass or carotid surgery take longer, measured in days to weeks. Across all of them, the same habits protect the result: stay active, control blood pressure and blood sugar, don't smoke, and keep your follow-up appointments.

Much of vascular disease responds to the very same habits that protect the heart: stay active, don't smoke, keep blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes under control, hold a healthy weight, and avoid sitting or standing still for long stretches. If you've already been treated, these habits matter just as much — they're what stop the problem coming back.