“We’re trying to break down those barriers,” said Dr. Zachary M. Arthurs of Coastal Vascular & Vein Center. The new ambulatory surgery center is more convenient, with “easy parking, easy access, easy hours.” CVVC will experiment with after-normal-business hours opportunities on Tuesdays or Thursdays or regularly opening a Saturday for scheduling.
The impact of after-hours availability is “improving access to get revascularization done.” For patients relying on a social system for transportation, the flexibility of extended hours allows them the opportunity to make appointments without disrupting the work schedules of their children or neighbors.

‍
“The big picture is we’re expanding access to care,” said Dr. Arthurs. CVVC’s ambulatory surgery center is the first vascular-specific center in South Carolina. “That speaks to how committed we are,” said Dr. Arthurs, attesting to the state’s efforts to bring this lifesaving care to the patients that need it.
Extensions of this commitment are the limb salvage and wound care centers.

“Any patient with a wound on their extremity should be seen and evaluated by a vascular specialist,” said Dr. Arthurs. “Being in the wound center allows us to screen those wounds and treat them from a vascular standpoint at a much earlier stage.”
‍

Patients are subsequently enlisted in intensive therapy to treat the wound. To comply with continued care, treatment must be accessible and convenient.
“Treatment needs to be close to their home – they’re coming in every week,” Dr. Arthurs said.
CVVC offers care spanning Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Walterboro, Hilton Head and beyond. Seventy percent of the patients who visit CVVC are experiencing diabetic angi- opathy or diabetic vascular disease, putting them at higher risk for complications in healing.
Inhibited glycemic control is a direct marker of metabolic dysfunction, and almost every organ system is affected, threatening the immune system. The cells recruited to heal a wound come through the liver and bone marrow, and that doesn’t happen well in patients with diabetes. Without functioning immunity, it is challenging to fight infection.
“Any skin break in a diabetic or someone with arterial disease is a limb-and life-threatening event,” said Dr. Arthurs, noting it can take a diabetic 12 to 20 weeks to heal. “While it’s open, there’s a constant risk of getting an infection that puts them in a situation where they can lose their leg or stress their system to the point that they have a heart attack or another battle that really threatens them.”

‍
The ambulatory center tackles the acute needs of people with diabetic complications. Earlier intervention, particularly using preventive tools, is lifesaving work that improves the metabolic health and lives of people in their 20s and 30s.
‍

South Carolina is not one of the healthiest ranked states, and that’s where Dr. Arthurs sees an opportunity to improve prevention and fitness. It’s rewarding to save a leg, and even more rewarding to save a life, catching somebody with a small problem in their 30s and equip- ping them with the tools and knowledge to improve their metabolic health.
‍

Dr. Arthurs and the team at CVVC are set to continue their work, bringing care to those who need it, where they need it and putting the power of knowledge and preventive medicine into the hands of everyone with whom they connect.