Ground-Breaking South Florida Interventional Radiologist Achieves Excellent Patient Outcomes With Continuum of Care Model of Delivery

William Julien, MD, is a leading expert in the development of office-based clinical endovascular practices

Coconut Creek, Fl- South Florida Vascular Associates Medical Director William Julien, M.D., is one of only a few interventional radiologists in the nation to have an office-based clinical practice where he provides pre- to post-operative care to his patients suffering from vascular diseases. His practice is unique because, unlike most interventional radiologists, Dr. Julien sees his own patients and treats 95% of them in his office in a sophisticated endovascular suite, one of the first of its kind in the country. Recently, Dr. Julien opened an 8,000-sq.-ft. facility equipped with three state-of-the-art operating suites coupled with a team of the region's most highly skilled medical staff, offering patients a unique and convenient continuum of care compared to a traditional hospital setting where traditional interventional radiologists typically see and treat their patients.

South Florida Vascular Associates' medical staff treats a variety of vascular conditions, including peripheral artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, varicose veins, deep vein thrombosis and carotid artery disease.

Each year the practice's physicians perform more than 1,000 image-guided endovascular procedures in their office-based setting utilizing the latest cutting-edge technology, which is implemented by specialty-trained vascular medical professionals. Office-based procedures are easier on the patient because the patients are in a relaxed environment, there is little to no wait time for surgery, the procedures are performed under IV sedation as opposed to general anesthesia, and there is a comfortable waiting area for the families. In-office endovascular procedures are also less expensive than hospital procedures for insurance carriers.

"Our endovascular practice focuses on the continuity of patient care from our first meeting until the patient is fully recovered," said Dr. Julien. "I have the opportunity to know each of my patients personally and patient outcomes are excellent with this advanced model of delivering vascular care. We emphasize the importance of patient education, offering patients clear explanations of their diagnosis and treatment plan, including providing the most comprehensive endovascular services in a fully-equipped, private, comfortable setting."

Unlike vascular surgery, which treats vascular disease with open surgery, endovascular surgery is a branch of medicine that treats disease processes through the vascular system, using catheter-based image-guided techniques. Endovascular procedures are minimally invasive, require less or no hospital time, have fewer complications, result in reduced cost, and faster recovery time for the patient.

Dr. Julien and his staff also provide angioplasty, stenting, atherectomy, bypass surgery, embolization and many other vascular treatments.


About South Florida Vascular Associates
William H. Julien, MD, is the medical director of South Florida Vascular Associates and is one of few interventional radiologists in the nation to offer a clinical-based practice. His philosophy is to treat the patient as a whole person and he does much of his own testing and procedures in his state-of-the-art facility equipped with three in-office operating suites, allowing patients to feel more comfortable in a non-hospital setting. His highly skilled staff provides one-on-one attention to each patient focusing on his/her needs and care. To learn more about Dr. Julien and South Florida Vascular Associates, call (954) 725-4141 or visit www.southfloridvascular.com.

NEWER ILIAC ARTERY STENTS PROVE TO BE SAFE, EFFECTIVE & LIFE PROLONGING

South Florida Interventional Radiologist Says Nearly 100% of Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Can Now Be Successfully Treated

Clogged leg arteries, or peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects up to 20% of Americans 65 or older.

William Julien, M.D., medical director of South Florida Vascular Associates says, “As the population ages that number is expected to climb even higher.” Aging, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity are the key risk factors.

PAD often occurs in the iliac arteries, the main arteries which carry blood from the abdominal aorta to the legs and feet. Often, the first sign of iliac artery disease is leg cramps or pain when walking. In its most severe form, PAD can cause painful sores on a patient’s toes and feet. If left untreated, the blood circulation to the lower extremities will diminish causing ulcers that can become dry, gray or black, and eventually gangrenous, which can lead to amputation of a limb.

67 year-old Frank Bartilotta was forced to retire from the grocery business, in part because of PAD. “Life was miserable. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t walk any more. I even had to sit in a chair to shower. We went to Las Vegas on vacation and I couldn’t leave the hotel room because I couldn’t walk anywhere,” he says.

Unloading grocery trucks for years and smoking a pack of cigarettes a day took its toll. Bartilotta says, “My walking capability was only a couple of minutes at the most.”

His PAD was so severe, treatment required angioplasty and iliac stenting in both legs.

“Treating PAD with stents is not new. We’ve been doing it more than 20 years, says Dr. Julien, but the technique and the stents are more durable and better constructed these days.”
Mounting research confirms iliac stenting is safe, highly effective and life extending.

“Nearly 100-percent of all patients with PAD can be successfully treated,” says Dr. Julien. The procedure, which takes roughly up to 90 minutes and is performed with local anesthesia, is fairly simple and similar to placing stents in clogged arteries in other parts of the body. Dr. Julien says, “Most patients are usually up on their feet roughly two to six hours after the procedure and can immediately go back to normal activities.”

In Bartilotta’s case, the iliac stents originally put in place by another doctor were too small. Bartilotta was referred to Dr. Julien who fixed the problem by doing balloon angioplasty to open up the stents wider, replacing normal blood flow to his legs.

And it worked!