Fitzgibbons Vein Center First in LA to Offer New VenaSeal Treatment
The Fitzgibbons Vein Center is proud to announce its offering of the revolutionary new VenaSeal Closure System for treatment of venous reflux disease. In October, Dr. Terrence Fitzgibbons and his staff underwent intensive training with one of VenaSeal’s founders, Monte Madsen, and they are ready to offer this procedure immediately.
“I am proud and excited to provide this innovative device and treatment to my patients,” Fitzgibbons says. “VenaSeal will be a wonderful addition to the services offered at our practice.”
The Fitzgibbons Vein Center is the first provider in the Los Angeles area.
“We’ve reached out to certain physicians that are highly skilled, have good volume, and that we trusted to start this procedure,” Madsen says. “He’s obviously one of the key opinion leaders in this area.”
VenaSeal closes damaged veins by injecting an adhesive through a catheter. A sequence of compressions with an ultrasound device and the doctor’s hand then spreads and seals it throughout the vein, effectively “gluing” it shut. Perhaps the biggest benefit is the decrease in the number of anesthetic injections needed.
“Other procedures involve anywhere from about 10 to 20 needle sticks along the patient’s thigh to inject that fluid, so you have to put up with all these needle sticks from this long 21-guage needle,” Madsen says, “With the VenaSeal, it doesn’t require any of that. All it requires is a single needle stick near the access or puncture site.”
The treatment itself only takes about 20 minutes, and patients are ready to go—without the numbness or weighty feeling.
“Patients have a very rapid return to what we think is normal,” Madsen says. “In Europe when we first had approval for this, I repeatedly would see the patients leave, and they’d get on their bicycle and pedal home.”
Another popular aspect has been the lack of compression hose or stockings during recovery. While other methods require the sometimes hot and unruly socks to be worn in order to hold the treated vein closed, VenaSeal’s bonded adhesive eliminates that need.
“In our clinical trials we aimed to show that you didn’t need compression as part of the post-procedure requirements,” Madsen says. “And it was pretty dramatic because a lot of older people have trouble putting on compression hose or just a lot of people in general just don’t like to wear them.”
VenaSeal has gained popularity in Europe since its approval in 2011, where it is now in vast use; it’s also in use in Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and parts of the Middle East. Madsen, his team and physicians in the United States have eagerly awaited completion of the rigorous FDA approval process. The FDA issued approval in February 2015.
“It’s incredibly gratifying, exciting, all those emotions you can imagine when you start with something from the very beginning with nothing, and you end up with FDA approval,” Madsen says.
If you would like to learn more about VenaSeal or believe you are a candidate, please call the Fitzgibbons Vein Center offices or fill out the online consultation request form.
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