What is the Function of the Great Saphenous Vein (GSV)?When thinking about varicose vein treatment or future heart surgery, many patients ask, “Do I need my saphenous vein?”
The great saphenous vein plays a role in circulation, but it is not always necessary to keep it if it is no longer functioning properly.
The great saphenous vein is a superficial vein that runs along the length of the leg, from the foot to the groin. It connects with deeper veins that carry most of the blood back to the heart.
The function of the great saphenous vein is to protect the skin veins from the mildly increased pressure in the deep veins.
The saphenous vein is like your appendix in the sense that if it is not functioning properly, then you do not need it anymore.
Unfortunately, family history, pregnancy, excessive standing, and advanced age cause the saphenous vein to deteriorate.
8% of the blood returning to the heart from your legs does so through other leg veins in the deep system, so if the great saphenous vein is not functioning properly, and left untreated, the venous circulation in the legs is less efficient and can lead to bigger problems.
By not treating the diseased saphenous vein, you can develop uncomfortable symptoms like pain, swelling, skin changes, and non-healing wounds on your leg.
When the great saphenous vein is removed or treated, the body naturally redirects blood flow through other healthy veins, primarily within the deep venous system.
Most varicose vein procedures involve endovenous laser vein ablation in order to gently destroy the saphenous vein.
“What happens if I need a vein for heart surgery down the road?” As AVI’s practicing physician, as well as a double Board Certified Cardiovascular Surgeon and Phlebologist who practiced heart surgery for more than 20 years, Dr. James D. Albert would never destroy a vein that could functionally be used for coronary bypass surgery. If you are having your saphenous vein treated to resolve your varicose vein problems, then this same vein would be too diseased to use for heart surgery anyway. He frequently identifies that the saphenous vein in patients with superficial venous insufficiency is not usable for coronary bypass. Furthermore, there are other vessels that can be used if the saphenous vein is diseased or has previously been treated.
Patients who have had their saphenous vein harvested for coronary bypass surgery can still have problems with varicose veins. This difficulty can occur because only part of the saphenous vein was removed for heart surgery, while the remaining part of the vessel goes on to become diseased.
Contact us today to request a consultation for vein care in Lone Tree and Colorado Springs at Albert Vein Institute.
