Franciscan Physician Network Doctor Recognized At Symposium For Successful Method Of Treating Patients' Venous Ulcers
2/25/2019
DYER, Indiana - A Franciscan Physician Network doctor's success in using ultrasound from inside the vein to help remedy slow-healing leg wounds drew attention at an international conference last month.
Dr. Michael Flisak made the presentation on January 29 at the International Symposium of Endovascular Therapy in Hollywood, Fla. Dr. Flisak shared his original data on the process of wound closure or lower extremity venous ulcer therapy. A venous skin ulcer is a sore on the leg that is very slow to heal, often due to poor circulation.
Dr. Flisak said recent studies have shown that all patients with venous ulcers in their legs should be evaluated for compression syndrome in the pelvic veins. However, such treatment is routinely not done. In his practice, Dr. Flisak has turned his focus to checking for compression syndrome if a conventional ultrasound finds no significant problems. He performs an ultrasound from inside the veins in the pelvis to find out if the pelvic veins are getting compressed, thus causing circulation problems that would slow the healing process.
"My goal in doing this was to help these patients manage their disease process, close the ulcers and prevent new ones from forming," Dr. Flisak said.
Dr. Flisak said his approach using intravascular ultrasound to evaluate compression syndrome in the pelvic veins is a novel one. In performing more than 500 ultrasound procedures from inside the veins, he's seen excellent results, which he was able to share at the symposium.
"The healing rate in the study that I did was 62.5 percent at one month and 73 percent at six months. These are patients who had ulcers, some of them for years," Dr. Flisak said.
The data presented by Dr. Flisak earned positive feedback at the symposium. "Two physicians wanted to get more data from me to potentially include Franciscan Health Dyer as a site for further investigation," he said.
Dr. Flisak said patients who would benefit from this therapy are those who have slow-healing leg wounds, whose legs are severely swollen without any identifiable cause or who have significant varicose veins. People interested in setting up an appointment for initial evaluation can call Franciscan Physician Network Cardiology Dyer at (219) 865-0893.
Dr. Michael Flisak made the presentation on January 29 at the International Symposium of Endovascular Therapy in Hollywood, Fla. Dr. Flisak shared his original data on the process of wound closure or lower extremity venous ulcer therapy. A venous skin ulcer is a sore on the leg that is very slow to heal, often due to poor circulation.
Dr. Flisak said recent studies have shown that all patients with venous ulcers in their legs should be evaluated for compression syndrome in the pelvic veins. However, such treatment is routinely not done. In his practice, Dr. Flisak has turned his focus to checking for compression syndrome if a conventional ultrasound finds no significant problems. He performs an ultrasound from inside the veins in the pelvis to find out if the pelvic veins are getting compressed, thus causing circulation problems that would slow the healing process.
"My goal in doing this was to help these patients manage their disease process, close the ulcers and prevent new ones from forming," Dr. Flisak said.
Dr. Flisak said his approach using intravascular ultrasound to evaluate compression syndrome in the pelvic veins is a novel one. In performing more than 500 ultrasound procedures from inside the veins, he's seen excellent results, which he was able to share at the symposium.
"The healing rate in the study that I did was 62.5 percent at one month and 73 percent at six months. These are patients who had ulcers, some of them for years," Dr. Flisak said.
The data presented by Dr. Flisak earned positive feedback at the symposium. "Two physicians wanted to get more data from me to potentially include Franciscan Health Dyer as a site for further investigation," he said.
Dr. Flisak said patients who would benefit from this therapy are those who have slow-healing leg wounds, whose legs are severely swollen without any identifiable cause or who have significant varicose veins. People interested in setting up an appointment for initial evaluation can call Franciscan Physician Network Cardiology Dyer at (219) 865-0893.
Media Contact
Robert Blaszkiewicz
Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Northwest Indiana
Phone: 219-661-3294
Phone: 219-916-7304
Email: Robert.Blaszkiewicz@FranciscanAlliance.org