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Chronic Venous Insufficiency

Chronic Venous Insufficiency

What is Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)?

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is a medical condition in which the veins in the body are unable to pump oxygen-depleted blood back to the heart, often resulting in chronic swelling in the legs.

How is CVI related to Varicose Veins?

Refluxing Vein AnimationAs varicose vein symptoms worsen, there is increased backflow (reflux) of blood, which causes swelling in the ankles, feet, and legs. This is followed by discoloration around the ankles and feet. Left untreated, this may result in stasis dermatitis (dry, flaky rash), phlebitis (blood clots), and ulcers (skin sores).

Due to increased pressure of blood in the legs, even a minor injury may result in profuse bleeding. Poor circulation may cause frequent skin infections and sores that do not heal.

Alsara Vein Clinic offers venous insufficiency treatment.

Varicose Vein Treatments are coved by insurance including Medicare and Medicaid

Vein Disease Menu

President Trump – Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)

President Donald Trump was recently diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). His diagnosis has sparked renewed interest in this common yet often overlooked condition. Many patients are now asking important questions: What is CVI? Is it serious? Who gets it? How is it treated? Let’s dive right in.

What is CVI?

RefluxingVeinAnimation smChronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is a medical condition in which the veins in the legs don’t function properly, making it difficult to pump blood back to the heart. This leads to circulation problems and a variety of leg symptoms.

In the early stages, symptoms may be subtle such as heaviness, fatigue, aching, throbbing, itching, or burning in the legs. As the condition progresses, due to inadequate blood flow to calf muscles patients may experience leg cramps (often called “Charley horses”) or restlessness at night (Restless Leg Syndrome).

Without treatment, CVI can worsen and lead to leg swelling, skin discoloration, bleeding varicose veins, recurrent skin infections, blood clots and poorly healing sores (ulcers)

Progression of Varicose Veins

How Common is CVI?

CVI is extremely common, affecting 10–35% of adults in the U.S. Both men and women are at risk, but women often develop symptoms earlier due to pregnancies and hormonal changes. In fact, nearly 40% of women over age 50 have some degree of CVI.

Risk factors include family history of vein disease, age and prolonged standing or sitting

Treatment of CVI

In the past, treatment for CVI often required invasive vein stripping surgery in a hospital, followed by a long and painful recovery. Thankfully, modern medicine has transformed vein care.

Today, CVI can be treated in the comfort of an office setting with minimally invasive procedures. Diseased veins are safely closed, restoring healthy circulation. Patients typically return to normal activities immediately with no downtime, and minimal discomfort. Many notice improvements in their legs as soon as the next day.

A quick, painless duplex ultrasound can diagnose CVI, and your vein specialist will review personalized treatment options. Almost all insurance plans including Medicare cover treatment of symptomatic vein disease.

Call Alsara Vein Clinic today at 816-396-0245 for a Consultation. We offer same-day appointments.

Tracy Clements

Tracy Clements poster My name is Tracy Clements and I’m from around here, about 30 minutes from here. I suffered several injuries from a car accident years ago, and I recently found out about this place [Alsara Vein Clinic], and I wanted to come here and see oof they could help.

What were your symptoms? How did they affect your daily life?

I was having CVI (Chronic Venous Insufficiency), swelling of the legs, heaviness of my foot and my lower leg, and a lot of tiredness, heaviness, but also ulcers and skin breakdown. Actually, I was having these pains and these symptoms for years and years, and I neglected to treat it or take care of it because I thought that was the way it was suppose to be and that was just something I was going to have to deal with because of the care accident I was in. My car accident was in 1993 – twenty-eight years ago.

But, my Primary Care… after several bouts with Cellulitis and trying to fight it off with antibiotics, we were having some success, but we continued to revert back to the Cellulitis two [or] three times-a-year.

How did you hear about Alsara Vein Clinic?

And that’s when she recommended that I come to see Dr. Gupta at Alsara Vein Clinic, and she thought that would be a much safer and reliable source for more of a permanent fix on my leg. And I followed her advice and came in for a [free] consultation.

What was your first impression of Alsara Vein Clinic?

I was extremely impressed with not only the staff but Dr. Gupta, himself, was very knowledgeable and patient with me. And they let me know that there could be a lot of relief and [that] there was help. And that made me feel just great about coming here.

How did you feel during the treatment?

I was, um… during the treatment – the mapping and the treatments – they were almost pain-free for me. And I have a unique situation with my leg versus a lot of people: I’ve had a lot of broken bones and hardware put in my body and my veins are really messed up. And it wasn’t near as scary or painful as I thought it would be, so it worked out really well.

What are you able to do after treatment that you couldn’t do before?

The leg swelling has minimized almost… probably 90%. I’m not having the breakdown that I did with my skin, or the ulcers. And I’m also… the heaviness of my legs, the Restless Leg Syndrome does not bother me anymore. And my legs before coming here were so sensitive and sore, just the slightest touch would hurt – and, now, they’re not like that at all. It’s gone. It’s amazing. It really is.

How would you describe Dr. Gupta?

Dr. Gupta: his way of handling a patient is amazing. He has knowledge beyond what I… and I’ve been around a lot of doctors and a lot of medical stuff in the last twenty-eight and a half years, and by far he is one that is… he’s incredibly intelligent but he’s patient, and he goes the extra effort to explain things to you. And he will lay it out for you before they do anything, you know, and it’s just amazing the results you get from it. He makes you feel comfortable, and, he doesn’t make you feel comfortable; you are comfortable with that. We did the VenaSeal™ – the glue – in my [veins], and I recommend it. It’s literally painless, and it’s helped out; it’s helped me tremendously. I would recommend the VenaSeal™ and I would recommend Dr. Gupta and Alsara Vein Clinic 100%.

How was your insurance coverage?

I had no insurance issues at all. It was covered 100%. And I was informed early on – my first visit – that the staff here would work to utilize my insurance and let me know if there were any problems before we went any further, and, if they could, make accommodations as to help however they could with the insurance.

What was your impression of the staff at Alsara Vein Clinic?

From the first moment I arrived here at the facility and you walked in the door, I felt the staff was very accommodating, very friendly. The place is amazingly clean and comfortable, and it’s very user-friendly here. You feel right at home. And it’s not crowded. And you don’t feel like a number here – you feel like a person here. And I think that’s very important to people that are already coming in here nervous, and uninformed, and unaware of what’s going to happen, and that all disappears pretty much at the front door when you come in.

How did you feel after your treatment?

After treatment, I feel… I’m pretty much pain-free when I leave here. And from then on, I mean, it’s amazing – it’s night-and-day difference, it really is. It makes you feel like ‘Why didn’t I come here before? Why did I wait so long to come here?’ There is help out there, and don’t wait.

Would you recommend Alsara Vein Clinic to family or friends?

I would definitely recommend someone to this facility, to Alsara Vein Clinic. I have, actually, recommended a couple of people, and I hope they don’t wait, like I did. Pain is a serious problem, and it doesn’t have to be. We can make it go away, and that’s what you guys do.