Vascular Surgery - Department of Surgery | College of Medicine

Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy

On behalf of the entire vascular team, I would like to welcome you to the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. Our group of highly qualified, board-certified vascular surgeons is dedicated to excellence in clinical care, education, research, and continuous quality improvement. Our team includes a group of compassionate nurses, skilled vascular technologists, supportive office staff, knowledgeable advanced practice providers and surgeons in training.

The Division offers comprehensive care of patients with arterial, venous, and lymphatic disease by a team of vascular experts. We deliver high-quality patient-centered care via outpatient and inpatient consultation services, less invasive endovascular interventions, and open surgical procedures covering the full range of vascular-related diseases

Our Goals Are:

Care for each patient in a manner in which we ourselves would want to be treated
Educate and mentor the next generation of vascular surgeons
Contribute to clinical vascular research and practice evidence-based medicine
Support a culture of continuous quality improvement

Here at the University of Vermont Medical Center, the vascular surgical group has embraced and become highly skilled at providing new, and often, less invasive methods to treat patients with a broad range of vascular problems while maintaining excellence in open surgical procedures. Less invasive alternatives to treat aneurysmal and occlusive disease, new methods of treating patients with venous disease, and non-invasive imaging of vascular pathologies have all combined to make the treatment of vascular pathologies more patient-specific and more tolerable. We recognize that there are many different ways to treat patients with vascular disease and our surgeons work hard to ensure that patients understand those options and can make informed decisions about their care. The division continues to meet the daily challenge of matching the right procedure for the patient.

Daniel J. Bertges, MD
***Professor of Surgery and Medicine* Division Chief for Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy
Program Director for Vascular Surgery Fellowship
Co-director University of Vermont Aortic Center**

Faculty

Daniel J. Bertges, MD, FACS
Division Chief, Professor & Vascular Fellowship Program Director
Katelynn Ferranti, MD
Assistant Professor
Medical Director, David Pilcher Non-invasive Vascular Lab
Mead Ferris, MD
Assistant Professor
Associate Program Director for Vascular Surgery Fellowship
Julie Adams Lahiri, MD, FACS
Associate Professor
Andrew C. Stanley, MD, FACS
Associate Professor & Deputy Chair, Department of Surgery
Georg Steinthorsson, MD, FACS
Associate Professor

Administrative Assistant

Tina Blais-Armell

Research

We are committed to practicing evidence-based medicine and contributing to clinical research in vascular disease. We are especially interested in clinical research that have applications to the day-to-day delivery of patient care.

Our research activities currently include participation in clinical trials and research utilizing the Vascular Quality Initiative.

Innovative Hybrid OR Suite

The vascular faculty utilize a state-of-the-art hybrid suite in its operating room for standard and complex endovascular procedures including advanced aortic endovascular repair with customized branched devices, carotid revascularization and peripheral vascular interventions. Fixed fluoroscopic imaging in an operating room suite enables our surgeons to expand their use of less invasive endovascular techniques.

Quality

The Division is dedicated to continuous quality improvement at the local, regional, and national level. We routinely conduct quality improvement projects to advance the care of our patients. These efforts have included the surveillance of postoperative cardiac injury, regional anesthesia to reduce the pain after major amputation, establishing contrast-enhanced ultrasound and promoting shared decision making for patients with intermittent claudication.

We are proud to be a founding member of the Vascular Study Group of Northern New England in 2003. We have been a continuous, active participant in its successor organization, the Society for Vascular Surgery’s Vascular Quality Initiative. The mission of SVS VQI is to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness and cost of vascular healthcare. Visit the VQI website to learn more.

Our participation in the SVS VQI has resulted in publication of clinical research and advanced care in our practice.

David Pilcher Noninvasive Vascular Lab

The David Pilcher Noninvasive Vascular Lab performs approximately 9,000 studies annually. The lab is named in honor of David Pilcher, MD (1934-2012) who was a pioneer in Vermont vascular surgery and an early champion of vascular ultrasound.

Vascular testing includes non-invasive ultrasounds and measure of upper and lower extremity circulation. Vascular laboratory training is provided in an IAC-accredited vascular laboratory administered by the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy and is located within the outpatient Ambulatory Care Center. The vascular lab provides point of care service for outpatients and inpatients.

Education

Our educational mission is dedicated to (1) training the next generation of vascular surgeons and (2) education of non-specialists about vascular disease. We are committed to teaching at all levels including medical students, general surgery residents, cardiology fellows and vascular surgery fellows. In addition, we educate allied health professionals including vascular technologists, nurses and advanced practice providers.

We are proud of our 5+2-year vascular surgery fellowship program which has been educating fellows since 2017. Please follow this link to our Vascular Surgery Fellowship website. Medical students rotate through our service as part of their clinical clerkship and as acting interns. Medical students have participated in research projects with us through the senior major program that has gone on to presentation, peer review and publication. Students can gain exposure to the field of vascular surgery through our Vascular Surgery Interest Group (VSIG) and by attending the annual Careers in Medicine discussion. We support and mentor medical students who are interested in a career in vascular surgery and are proud of the number of who have gone onto successful matches in our sub-specialty.

Residents rotating through our service enjoy participating in the clinical care of our patients, involving in our clinical research and quality improvement efforts, and many have gone on to careers in vascular surgery.

We utilize the Clinical Simulation Laboratory which is a collaborative effort of the UVM Larner College of Medicine, the UVM College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and The University of Vermont Medical Center, serving as a centralized hub in the training of health care professionals with the ultimate goal of improving quality and safety of care.

Patient Care

Experienced and highly trained surgeons, advanced practice providers, nurses and support staff help work with patients, their family and friends through evaluations, operations and post-surgical follow-ups to assure high quality care.

Among the conditions that our vascular surgeons treat are:

Blockages in the neck arteries that can cause strokes.
Blockages in the leg arteries that can lead to serious debilitation or loss of limb.
Aneurysms of the aorta and its branches.
Chronic disorders of the veins in the legs
Compressed blood vessels or nerves in the thoracic outlet.
Other blockages in the arteries of the body such as mesenteric artery disease which can lead to abdominal pain, inability to eat and unintended weight loss

The Division offers the full scope of surgical treatment for vascular disease including:

Medical management of peripheral vascular disease
Surveillance of vascular conditions with non-invasive ultrasound testing
Minimally invasive or percutaneous techniques (angioplasty, stenting, atherectomy)
Traditional surgical therapies (bypass, endarterectomy or removal of plaque, and aneurysm repair)
Treatment of venous disease including varicose veins, chronic lower extremity ulcers due to vein insufficiency. Follow this link to learn more.
Creation of dialysis access for patients with kidney failure

Visit Vascular Surgery at The University of Vermont Medical Center, our clinical teacher partner

Department of Surgery

Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy

Daniel J. Bertges, MD Professor of Surgery and Medicine Division Chief for Vascular Surgery and Endovascular TherapyProgram Director for Vascular Surgery FellowshipCo-director University of Vermont Aortic Center

Daniel J. Bertges, MD

Professor of Surgery and Medicine Division Chief for Vascular Surgery and Endovascular TherapyProgram Director for Vascular Surgery FellowshipCo-director University of Vermont Aortic Center