Tag: Amputation prevention

FOOT PAIN AT NIGHT: IT MIGHT BE MORE SERIOUS THAN YOU THINK

Posted on by Michael Kokinos

Many patients over the age of 65 who have a history of smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and/or high cholesterol wake up at night with pain in their foot or toes. Some believe this is arthritis or gout; others think it is the result of just spending too much time on their feet during the day.  Patients often self-adapt to this problem, as it usually develops slowly over time, but when questioned about their sleep habits, they will sometimes tell you that they sleep in a recliner or they sleep with their leg hanging over the side of the bed to make their pain go away.

It is very common for elderly patients to get up at night to go to the bathroom. Sometimes, however, it’s actually foot pain that wakes them up.  Once up, they get out of bed because that makes their feet feel better (again due to gravity) and after walking to the bathroom they can go back to sleep, pain -free for a couple of hours.  Even that small amount of walking helps to get their blood flowing again and makes it easier for them to go back to sleep.

Sometimes, foot pain at night is the sign of a more serious condition.

  • Foot pain at night may be related to having poor circulation in the foot. The name for this in medical terms is “rest pain”. This is not “pain at rest” but rather pain that happens because the circulation cannot support the tissues even when they are at rest.

Foot pain at night may be an early warning sign of critical limb ischemia.

  • Chronic Limb Ischemia is another term for lack of blood flow;  if you experience this rest pain at night and it goes away after hanging your foot over the side of the bed or chair you are sleeping in, immediately call and speak with your doctor to set up an appointment for them to evaluate your symptoms. Although it may come on slowly, the arteries in your feet may be so blocked that they cannot even deliver the minimal amount of oxygen the tissues in the foot and toes need to keep them nourished. Left untreated, this blockage can lead to a more serious problem, amputation or even death.

What’s important for the patient to realize is that chronic limb ischemia causes the foot and leg to get swollen, so the patient is often MIS-DIAGNOSED with a vein problem, not an arterial problem

If this sounds like something you or someone you love is experiencing, it is important to tell your primary care doctor OR schedule an appointment DIRECTLY with a vascular surgeon. These symptoms are a sign that your body is giving you that you may need immediate help. This truly is a sign that your foot is starving for oxygen and blood and that if left untreated, might lead to an unnecessary amputation. Help is possible, however and if treated early enough, those suffering from these symptoms can be helped significantly.

If you suffer from painful feet in the middle of the night, WE CAN HELP

contact us today  at 408-376-3626 to learn more about PAD and how Dr. Kokinos can help, click here.

South Bay Vascular Center and Vein Institute: We Offer Hope When Others Say There Is None.

 

 

THE “RIGHT” EXPERIENCE COUNTS WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HEALTH

Posted on by Michael Kokinos

The “RIGHT” Experience Counts When It Comes to Your Health! South Bay Vascular Center and Vein Institute is the Bay Area’s Most Trusted Varicose Vein Clinic and Treatment Center.

Having performed over 20,000 vein procedures in the past 24 years, more independent doctors refer their vein patients to Dr. Polyxene (Polly) Kokinos than to any other vascular surgeon in the greater Silicon Valley region. Recognized as San Jose’s most experienced Vascular Surgeon and Varicose Vein Expert, Dr Kokinos offers cutting edge care to patients suffering from all forms of both arterial and venous disease.

Here’s why more local doctors refer to South Bay Vascular than to any other Vascular Surgery Center in the Valley:

  • The “RIGHT” Experience Counts When it Comes to your Health: South Bay Vascular center has been treating vein patients in a private practice setting for over 24 years.
  • Cutting edge vascular care in a fully accredited, state of the art, and private out-patient surgery center dedicated entirely to the practice of vascular surgery.
  • Access to the most Advanced Imaging and Device technologies found anywhere in the world.
  • On-site fully staffed IAC accredited Vascular Ultrasound Clinic that is operated full time by Registered Vascular Technologists (RVT).
  • Vascular Studies ready by RPVI certified Vascular Surgeons.
  • Same day availability for Hemodialysis Access de-clots.
  • “One-Doctor, One Patient, One Nurse” practice philosophy means we put the patients first.
  • Full time access to practice physicians
  • Easy access to care: No admissions departments.
  • RESULTS:   We are MORE than just a colorful website and a Google Adwords campaign. Remember, all that glitters is NOT Gold!  https://www.southbayvascular.com/blog/varicose-vein-doctors/

 Trust the doctor your physician does.

 Remember, Its Not Just Experience That Counts.

When It Comes to Your Health, It’s The “RIGHT” Experience that Matters!

Dr Polyxene Kokinos, Silicon Valley’s Vascular Surgeon.

Call us today at 408-376-3626 to schedule your vein consultation.

Click here to learn more about Dr Kokinos  NOT JUST VASCULAR CARE, EXCEPTIONAL VASCULAR CARE

DR. KOKINOS CHOSEN TO PRESENT AT 2017 OEIS MEETING

Posted on by Angelica Rodezno

Dr. Kokinos was selected as a speaker at this years OEIS (Outpatient Endovascular and Interventional Society)meeting that will be held March 31- April 2 in San Diego California. Dr Kokinos will be presenting her expertise in the establishment and operation of cutting edge outpatient treatment facilities.

Congratulations Dr. Kokinos on this honor.

Dr. Polyxene Kokinos and her partner, Dr. Carlos E Pineda of South Bay Vascular Center and Vein Institute, operate San Jose’s leading center for the treatment of Varicose Veins. As a Board Certified Vascular and General Surgeon, Dr. Kokinos is recognized by her peers as the one of the countries leading experts on the treatment of deep venous disease and is frequently sought out as a speaker. South Bay Vascular specializes in treating peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and is the regional center of excellence for amputation prevention.

If you or anyone you know suffers from unsightly and painful varicose veins, peripheral arterial disease, non-healing wounds or is facing a diabetic amputation, please call our office at 408-376-3626 to schedule a consultation. WE CAN HELP!

IMPROVING THE LIVES OF OUR PATIENTS

Posted on by Angelica Rodezno

Improving the lives of our patients is the foundation of everything that we do. In pursuit of this goal we strive to provide the most advanced vascular treatments available and to care for our patients in a compassionate and respectful manner.

At South Bay Vascular Center, we give our patients hope when others say there is none. By providing the most advanced vascular care available in our own state of the art angiography suite, South Bay Vascular has grown into the leading center for amputation prevention in Northern California. When other physicians say an amputation is necessary, our physicians perform diagnostic testing few, if any other centers in the area can provide. As a result, our physicians save more legs than any other doctors in the region.

Dr. Kokinos and Dr. Pineda perform more lower leg re-vascularization procedures than any other vascular surgeons in the area. Each year we save hundreds of patients from below knee and above knee amputations by performing specialized procedures that few other surgeons in the area are trained to perform.

Additionally, we work tirelessly to spread the word that patients facing amputation should always ask what else can be done to save their limb before going ahead with their amputations. Our goal is to educate anyone being told they need an amputation that they need a second opinion from a board certified Vascular Surgeon. When their doctors can’t answer the simple question of what does the inside of their artery look like, it’s time to ask for a second opinion.

 

But we can’t do this alone! We need everyone’s help to spread this message. There is hope for many patients facing diabetic amputation but, every week we see patients who have tragically already undergone an amputation without getting an informed second opinion from a Vascular Surgeon. For these patients, it’s too late.

We invite everyone to use the immense power of the social network to help spread the word that there is Hope for many of these patients. Reach out to everyone you know and let them know that if they or anyone they known is facing a potential lower limb amputation they need to call our office for a second opinion.

Our goal is to stop unnecessary amputations. Please Help!

Spread the word to everyone you know. Like us on Facebook, tweet this message to your friends, share this story over a drink… snap chat and Instagram the message that the physicians and staff at South Bay Vascular can Help!

Call us at 408-376-3626 to schedule an appointment or visit our website www.southbayvascular.com to learn more about what can be done to stop unnecessary amputations. Join us today and

Take A Stand Against Amputation!!

ACHING TIRED OR HEAVY LEGS?

Posted on by Angelica Rodezno

AMPUTATION PREVENTION CENTER- SAN JOSE

Posted on by Angelica Rodezno

South Bay Vascular Center and Vein Institute is pleased to announce the launching of our new Amputation Prevention and Limb Salvage campaign. Keep an eye out for one of our new ads throughout San Jose and the South Bay.

Dr.’s Kokinos and Pineda are at the forefront of research, development and treatments in the speciality of limb preservation. Our new campaign is designed to help patients facing the threat of lower limb amputation understand that there may still be hope for keeping these limbs. Recent advances in both imaging and medical device technology have entirely changed the field of limb preservation and have enabled vascular surgeons to help patients suffering from these problems in ways that were not available 3 years ago.

As leaders in the field of limb preservation, Dr.’s Kokinos and Pineda specialize in the treatment of lower extremity limb preservation and in the diagnosis and treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) and Chronic Limb Ischemia (CLI). Newly developed minimally invasive surgical techniques are helping patients save limbs by re-establishing blood flow to these impacted areas in ways that were just not possible in the past. Many of these surgeries can now be done in our state of the art angiography suite without the need for patients to be hospitalized and which enable patients to return home the same day of their procedures.

Patients facing a potential lower limb amputation are encouraged to call our office to understand how these new technologies may offer them hope when other say there is none. If you or your loved ones know anyone facing the possibility of an amputation, STOP! Call our office for a consultation on how we can help. We look forward to continuing to serve the south bay community and to help our patients “Get Back Their Life”

Please call us at 408-376-3626 to schedule an appointment and to see how we can help.

We’ve included copies of our new add campaign and hope they help to spread the word on how we can help. Take a look!

DR. KOKINOS SELECTED TO PRESENT AT THE AMERICAN VENOUS FORUM

Posted on by Angelica Rodezno

Dr. Kokinos will be presenting an abstract on her clinical research regarding iliac vein compression at the national American Venous Forum in New Orleans early next year. This meeting is the largest venous meeting of the year, and is sponsored by the Society for Vascular Surgery.

Dr. Kokinos has been recognized nationally as an expert on May-Thurner’s Syndrome, or iliac vein compession. This problem can cause symptoms of (predominantly) left leg swelling, heaviness, aching, deep venous clots, and non-healing ankle or leg wounds. She has performed more intravascular ultrasound exams and stents of the deep venous system than any other doctor on the West Coast in the last year. She will be presenting her clinical research on using regular ultrasound, done by the specially trained registered vascular technologists in the ICAVL accredited Institute for Vascular Testing to diagnose this fairly common but widely underdiagnosed issue. Previously, patients needed to get CT scans which used significant amounts of radiation and contrast for the diagnosis. This problem is not only seen because of a common anatomic situation, but also often as a result of an undiagnosed blood clot (DVT) in the iliac or femoral vein after orthopedic, back, or gynecologic surgery.

If you have one leg that is more swollen or painful than then other, or have had a leg blood clot in the past, please call us at 408-376-3626 or visit us at www.southbayvascular.com.

SOUTH BAY VASCULAR CENTER IS “TAKING A STAND AGAINST AMPUTATION”

Posted on by Angelica Rodezno

18 Million Americans Suffer from Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). Left untreated, PAD can lead to amputation. Each year 160,000 amputations are performed as a result of peripheral arterial disease.

South Bay Vascular Center and Vein Institute is Taking A Stand Against Amputation. Dr. Pineda and Dr. Kokinos recently attended the “Advanced Orbital Atherectomy Course in the Treatment of Complex PAD Below the Knee” at Metro Health Hospital, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This course was led by Dr. Jihad Mustapha, a thought leader in the field of critical limb ischemia. The techniques included using alternate access sites (using the arteries at the ankle and foot for access), instead of using the traditional groin site. The course also included treatment of arteries in the foot, with the main goal being on limb preservation and amputation prevention. To date, Dr.’s Kokinos and Pineda have performed more procedures using pedal access than any other surgeons in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and are recognized as leaders in this area.

The practices expounded by Dr. Mustapha and his team are the same techniques and principles the vascular surgeons at South Bay Vascular use in their care and treatment of PAD. These include: identification and aggressive medical management of risk factors, minimally invasive interventions when indicated, and continued surveillance to detect issues before they become clinically apparent.

At South Bay Vascular, we do use alternate sites frequently, and by using this approach, decrease the rate of groin complications and the length of time that the patient has to remain flat after a procedure. Furthermore, with our growing population of diabetics and patients with kidney disease, we are better equipped to manage critical limb ischemia and prevent amputations. This course is in support of our focus on taking care of patients at risk of losing a limb.

If you or a loved one is diabetic, has kidney disease (is on dialysis), or has been told they need an amputation, please contact us for a consultation with one of our surgeons and together we will Take A Stand Against Amputation.