Upper Extremity Vascular Injuries
Definition
Upper extremity vascular injuries refer to damage or trauma to the blood vessels in the upper limbs, including arteries and veins. These injuries can result from various causes such as blunt force, penetrating trauma, or other causes. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are crucial to prevent complications like reduced blood flow, blood clots, or limb loss.
Related Specialists
Showing 3 of 12
Related Fact Sheets
Related Departments
Showing 3 of 18
Vascular Surgery & Endovascular Therapy
At Yale Medicine, our team of highly trained vascular surgeons are here to help with a variety of circulation issues. This includes anything from blocked blood vessels and stubborn wounds to conditions that could lead to losing a limb. Our goal is to give complete care that's as easy on you as possible, which is why we focus on techniques that don't require major surgery, like treatments done inside the blood vessels themselves. Our doctors give personalized and complete care to adults with vascular problems. We rely on the newest and most advanced equipment and methods to diagnose and treat these conditions. Specialized care is offered in the following areas: Abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysm: Bulges in the main artery that can occur in the belly or chest area. Aortoiliac occlusive disease: Blocked arteries that supply blood to the abdomen, pelvis, and legs. Carotid artery stenosis: Narrowed arteries in the neck that can reduce blood flow to the brain. Claudication: Treatments to help relieve cramping in the legs while walking or exercising Diabetic ulcers: Sores that are slow to heal in people with diabetes. Dialysis access: For patients who need dialysis (a treatment for kidney failure), we create an entry point into the bloodstream that the dialysis machine can use. Foot ulcers: Sores on the feet that can develop due to poor circulation or other health issue. Lower extremity artery conditions Lower extremity vein conditions Renal vascular disease: Conditions that affect blood flow to the kidneys. Thoracic aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection: Bulges and tears in the part of the main artery that runs through the chest. Thoracic outlet syndrome: Discomfort or circulation problems caused when blood vessels or nerves just below the neck are compressed. Varicose veins: Treatments to remove or reduce enlarged veins that appear most often on the legs. Visceral artery disease: Blood vessels that supply the internal organs, ensuring they're not narrowed or blocked.Stroke Center
Timely treatment is essential to maximizing quality of life after a stroke. At the Yale Stroke Center, our highly skilled physicians take pride in delivering safe, patient-centered, and efficient care. We provide emergency treatments for conditions such as acute stroke and brain bleeds, where immediate interventions are required, but also elective treatments for aneurysms and other vascular lesions that are discovered incidentally. A dedicated neurovascular surgeon is on call and ready to mobilize a team at a moment’s notice—24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We streamline access to emergency neurovascular care for referring physicians, guaranteeing that patients will receive the timeliest and best care anywhere. Our collaborative team includes neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuroradiologists, as well as physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists, working together to deliver cutting-edge interventional treatment and imaging. In the emergency department, radiologists are always available to provide readings of imaging scans so that patients can proceed as quickly as possible to treatment. We have an array of 3-D imaging workstations to ensure doctors can pinpoint where they need to concentrate care. We work closely with Yale New Haven Hospital’s emergency medical service and emergency department teams to rapidly diagnose and treat acute stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders 24 hours a day. Our Y Access Line allows for the quick and easy transfer of patients to Yale New Haven Hospital. We also offer SkyHealth, an emergency patient transport helicopter, staffed by highly skilled medical professionals, including a critical care flight nurse and a trained paramedic. Life-saving interventions are delivered en route, for the best possible clinical outcomes. Our state-of-the-art, VISIUS Surgical Theater is equipped with a powerful MRI and an integrated, bi-plane X-ray angiography system that allows our experts to better visualize arteries and vessels. The ability to receive preoperative diagnostic imaging; open micro-surgery; percutaneous, catheter-based endovascular treatments; and postoperative checks all in the same room is unique in the tri-state area. Our services include: A dedicated neurointensive care unit A stroke consult service with a patient- and family-centered approach to the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with cerebrovascular disease Specialized stroke clinics for community physician referrals, stroke consults, and primary and secondary stroke prevention Telemedicine Program Through our Stroke Telemedicine Program, our neurologists use a video- and image-sharing telecommunications system to provide acute stroke care consultative services to outlying hospitals in the state. Yale New Haven Hospital is the only hospital in Connecticut to offer stroke telemedicine services. Within minutes of making an initial call to the Stroke Telemedicine Program, an on-call neurologist can examine a patient at the remote hospital to helPeripheral Vascular Program
Our advanced vascular medicine specialists are part of a long tradition of innovation in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral artery disease, a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs. At our Vascular Clinic, we employ all state-of-the-art percutaneous intervention (angioplasty) techniques and work in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team. Our goal is to help patients manage their symptoms. We also want to stop the progression of atherosclerosis, or the buildup of plaque, in patients’ arteries. That, in turn, reduces risk of heart attack and stroke. Lifestyle changes, including quitting smoking, are the single most important step. In the event that lifestyle changes are not enough, medicine to prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and control pain might help manage the condition.