Dr. Tom Bergman is current on all of the latest techniques in vascular medicine. Dr. Bergman has practiced medicine in Wenatchee since 1992. He is currently in private practice and offers outreach clinics in Chelan. He graduated from medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago. His general surgery residency was at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago. Dr. Bergman also finished a Vascular Surgery Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He moved to North Central Washington because of his love of the mountains and the outdoors. He enjoys hiking, fishing, biking, downhill skiing and woodworking.

Vascular Medicine deals with the vascular system, the network of arteries, veins and capillaries that circulate blood to and from the heart and lungs and throughout the body. Untreated vascular disease can lead to many problems, including aneurisms, amputation and stroke. Disorders of the vein valves can also result in leg swelling, varicose and spider veins.

Dr. Bergman performs many vascular procedures and surgeries including:

Treatment of Vein Problems
When veins in a leg malfunction, the bloodflow starts to flow backward during standing or sitting, often resulting in stretched, engorged and painful veins (spider and varicose veins). Sclerotherapy and Closure Procedure are both options for these conditions.

Carotid Artery Surgery for Prevention of Stroke
The majority of strokes are due to blockage in the carotid arteries. These are located in the neck and supply most of the blood to the brain.

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA), the surgery to remove blockage in the carotid artery, has been performed for the last 50 years. It is performed under general anesthesia. A patient typically remains in the hospital for one night for observation and resumes normal activities in about a week.

Treatment of Aortic Aneurysms
Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are common and represent a leading cause of death. When aneurysms are diagnosed early and treated electively, however, the treatment is safe, effective and curative.

Surgical treatment of AAA has been performed routinely for almost 50 years and is one of the most successful and durable vascular operations. While curative, this is a major abdominal operation that requires general anesthetic and an average hospital stay of 5-7 days.

Newer, less invasive technologies are also an option for some patients.

Bypass Surgery to Save Limbs
When circulation to a limb is critically reduced, tissue death can result in non-healing ulcers or gangrene.

There are many established procedures to restore or improve circulation to an extremity. Options may include localized removal of blockage, surgical bypass with vein or synthetic material, or balloon angioplasty.

Vascular Access for Hemodialysis
Hemodialysis is the most common treatment for kidney failure. During hemodialysis, the patient's blood passes through a machine where it is filtered and cleaned before it is returned to the body.

In order to perform hemodialysis, a "vascular access" must be treated. This procedure is performed by a vascular surgeon in a hospital. Most of the time it can be done on an outpatient basis.

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