Solutio: Less pain in varicose vein surgery

Solution: Less pain in varicose vein surgery with new medical technology

New medical technology makes varicose vein surgery less painful. The recommended treatment today is to use a laser to heat the sick blood vessels under the skin until they shrink. To do this, surgeons need to thread a thin laser fiber into the vein and burn it with laser light. This hurts and the patient needs to be prepared with local anesthetic. Usually the anesthetic must be injected along the length of the vein being treated. This involves 10 to 30 injections for each vein. The Solutio innovation can make the procedure almost pain free, and is also more efficient, enabling more patients to be treated in the same timeframe.

The film is in Swedish, but scroll down to read more about the subject in English.

“If you supplement the laser fiber with our Solutio instrument, you can introduce the anesthesia from the inside of the vein and only need to inject the patient once,” says Michael Åkesson, specialist physician and inventor of Solutio. “It also makes the anesthetic more effective, making it easier to ensure it is complete. Another advantage is that it is likely to make the procedure quicker, which means that you will treat more patients in the same timeframe. With Solution we believe that more patients who have previously hesitated to undergo varicose vein operations for fear of the pain will now be prepared to seek treatment.”

What is a varicose vein?

Varicose veins are a common problem that affects about one in three adults in Sweden. They are often a result of heredity, but you will not necessarily develop them because your parents have them. People with sedentary work or people whose jobs involve a lot of standing, hairdressers for example, are more likely to develop varicose veins than others. For women the problem may worsen during pregnancy.

“Varicose veins are characterised by a widening and a winding of blood vessels on the legs. The actual cause lies in the larger veins just under the skin,” says Michael Åkesson. “In these vessels, due to an impaired function of the venous valve, circulation may be disrupted and the blood can start flowing the wrong way. Varicose veins are as common among women as men and the risk increases with age and obesity.”

“For most sufferers, varicose veins are both a cosmetic and a symptomatic problem,” explains Michael Åkesson. “It’s not uncommon to have aches, swelling, cramps, fatigue, itching and even acute pain. In public healthcare, patients receive surgery only when the risk of developing chronic leg ulcers is present, such as with lower leg eczema or a darkening of the pigmentation of the lower leg or ankle joint.”

Medtech4Health supports medical technology development

The Swedish company Medvasc received funds in Medtech4Health’s Collaboration Project in 2017 to develop the Solutio prototype and test it clinically. This was done in co-operation between companies and the University of Lund.

European MedTech Week 2018

This film was produced as part of our participation in this year’s European MedTech Week. During this week, 4th to 8th June, medical technology is being celebrated across Europe. Every day, companies, universities and hospitals collaborate across the country to develop and test new products. Or to make existing products even better.

Share your story about what medical technology is for you or how has helped improve your health. Use the hashtag #medtechweek and #medtechweekSE. Visit Medtech Week’s official website for more information in English.

Original Swedish text by Kristina Svensson.