Dr. Oliver Aalami
Vascular Surgery
Renton, WA, Mexico
25 years experience
Locations
Office
Renton, WA
About
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Vascular Surgery
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
240 Answers
5 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Ballooning Artery: An infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm is the dilitation or ballooning of the abdominal aorta below the branches that provide blood to the kidneys. I... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Not necessarily: An unna boot is a medicated gauze bandages used to treat venous stasis ulcers. The bandage is impregnated with zinc oxide and calamine which are thoug... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Possible: There is a condition called a "contained rupture", which means the walls of the aorta have been violated however the leak is contained. This is certai... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: Ct scans of the abdomen and pelvis will definitely show an abdominal aortic aneurysm. We actually order a ct angiogram (a fine cut ct scan with IV con... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Unlikely: Diet alone will most likely not make the blockage go away. Medical management with Aspirin or Plavix (clopidogrel) (anti-platelet agents) and choleste... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 52-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Ankle ulcer: Sickle cell ulcers most often occur on the inside of the ankle, or just above the ankle. There are similarities in appearance to venous stasis ulcers ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Keep Dry: Diabetic foot gangrene / ulcers should be kept dry. Betadine twice a day is inexpensive and effective as an antiseptic and at keeping the wound dry. F... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: The most official resource for patients with vascular disease is the society of vascular surgery's website: www.Vascularweb.Org.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
A long time: As long as there are no infections and the stent graft doesn't move, stent grafts are known to last for the life of the patient. Problems arise when t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Minutes: Unless you have an allergic reaction to the IV contrast, the warm feeling from the contrast is over in minutes. You will have a band-aid from the iv, ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: Yes. Other segments of the aorta can become aneurysmal, or other arteries such as the iliac or popliteal arteries, or even arteries of the brain. The ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Not necessarily: Age is relative. If a high functioning person has a TIA (mini-stroke) or a full blown stroke with carotid artery narrowing > 50%, then offering caroti... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: Ascending aortic aneurysms are treated once they reach 6cm in diameter. They are treated to prevent rupture. Typically they are monitored by ct angiog... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Length of tunnel: Undermining is when a wound diameter is wider at its base (deep in the wound) than at the wound's skin edge. For example, the hole in the skin may be... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
No: This is not normal. You should have your circulation and nerves evaluated.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Lump on skin: Hemodialysis sites look like engorged veins. If they are "fistulas" (artery connected to a vein) the lump on the skin follows the natural pathway of ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Depends: Interestingly it is not only the amount of blockage which causes pain when patients have pvd, but also how quickly the blockage develops. If it occurs... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old male asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Open vs. Endo: The two procedures done for carotid stenosis are 1) carotid endarterectomy: exposing, opening, and cleaning out the plaque / atherosclerosis from the ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old male asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Open vs. Stenting: The options are either an open carotid endarterectomy (neck incision with cleaning out of plaque) or carotid stenting (endovascular through a groin pu... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
No: Adolescents/children are more likely to have congenital heart malformations such as a patent foremen ovale (hole between the right and left side of th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: It turns out hypertension (HTN) is considered a "modifiable risk factor" for coronary artery disease (cad)- this means that treating HTN will decrease... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 53-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Arterial Bypass Meds: In addition to the general anesthesia medications used, some surgeons use local anesthesia (eg, lidocaine) prior to making the incision. Before clampi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 52-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Once a year: Typically an annual ultrasound is what is done for patients with known carotid artery stenosis / narrowing. Sometimes when i first meet a patient and ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Unlikely: This is very unlikely. Aneurysms treated endovascularly (stents / endografts) do often shrink because they are depressurized.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: A leg amputation is a major life altering event. Depression is a common side effect. Antidepressants along with therapy are a widely accepted approach... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
No: No. Varicose veins develop because a valve somewhere in the veins has failed and blood pools in the leg veins rather than traveling back to the heart.... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
No: No. Warfarin can cause something called, "coumadin (warfarin) skin necrosis", which is more likely to happen if you aren't anticoagulated with Heparin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Not necessarily : The physical exam is very bad at predicting an aaa. Ultrasounds and ct scans are better tests to screen for aaas. However, it is possible to feel the ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Raynaud's Disease: This sounds like raynaud's disease, which is when one gets discolored, cold and sometimes painful fingers or toes due to vasospasm (the small blood ve... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Cirrhosis: When the liver becomes scarred (alcohol is the most common cause) blood can't flow through it to get back to the heart. The liver normally filters the... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Need Catheter: If an av fistula fails in dialysis patients, then they require a dialysis catheter until another long term dialysis access can be established. If all ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Don't have to be: It takes a surgical procedure to connect the end if a vein to the side of an artery (create an av fistula). Once created, it will take another surgica... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 53-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Very: Carotid ultrasounds are very accurate. Not only can the plaque morphology be evaluated, but the degree of narrowing can be accurately estimated by mea... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Low blood pressure : When a AAA ruptures there is a significant amount of bleeding that occurs. This causes a dramatic drop in blood pressure often leading to hemorrhagic ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Annually: Once a year by ultrasound should be enough. You don't have to be concerned about treatment until it reaches a diameter of around 2cm. We don't worry a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
No: No. Ct angiograms do not cause strokes. Ct angiograms of the head are used to diagnose stokes and ct angiograms of the head/neck and chest can help d... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Depends: Sometimes the skin around an ulcer may be infected and require antibiotics. Also, if the bone is infected then antibiotics are definitely necessary. S... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
No: No but if you have blockages in your aorta or iliac arteries this can block blood flow to your perineum and cause ed. A ct angiogram or vascular study... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Not bad: If you have an ulcer it is quite alright and recommended to let the ulcer get wet in the shower as long as it is dried and properly dressed after the ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
No: It is not common to gain weight after kidney surgery. The most common reason would be from all the IV fluid received during the procedure and while in... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Depends: If you are having regular leg aching, heaviness, pain or if you have leg discoloration (darkening of the skin) or an ulcer near the ankles you should ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
No: No. Factors which determine if you will lose your leg are, 1) how good / bad the circulation is, or 2) whether you have a deep wound infection which w... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: Yes, amputations can be fatal, but it all depends on why you are having the amputation. If you are elderly and i'll with diabetes and severe vascular ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Depends: If the AAA is below the threshold for repair (~5cm in men and ~4.5cm in women), then lifting weights is relatively safe. Once the aneurysm reaches the... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Lotio / Benadryl (diphenhydramine) : Itching is very common and is a consequence of the inflammation from the healing ulcer and any associated venous insufficiency. Lotion and/or Benadryl... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Depends: Stenting of the renal arteries has been controversial. Definitely, no intervention needs to be considered if the narrowing is less than 60%. The setti... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
No: Stents don't cause disease, but they can fail. They fail either because of scarring, clotting or progression of disease (atherosclerosis). Whenever st... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Inflammatory Pattern: Peripheral vascular disease refers to the blockage of blood vessels (doesn't include heart or brain vessels). This can happen from atherosclerosis, em... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
TLC: Make sure the wounds are dry. Painting the incisions with betadine twice a day can help prevent infections. Be around to assist when she wants to get ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Oliver Aalamianswered
Vascular Surgery 25 years experience
Rarely: Once properly placed, major side effects are rare. It is possible to get scarring in a stent (in-stent restenosis). It is also possible to get stent f... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
10
Recommendations
460
Thank you notes
Nov 9, 2012
As a Healthtap scholar, one of my duties to both peers and patients is to evaluate the quality of answers. Dr Aalami provides not only accurate answers, but with compassion and completeness. I endorse...Read More
Dec 2, 2012
I endorse this doctor. Dr. Aalami is an outstanding vascular surgeon and well respected by his peers.
Sep 10, 2013
a great doc with helpful answers! thank you!
HealthTap member
Well now I wonder if it could be something because I have one on the other side with the same situation - it started small and unnoticable and has grown quite a bit. Someone suggested a tumor? I don't...Read More
HealthTap member
Thank you for the detailed response, we appreciate your comments and will investigate your suggestion
HealthTap member
Ive always been so curious! Now I'll know what to tell my friends at dinner parties!
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Boston University School of Medicine, MA
Graduated 1998MD
Awards
HealthTap Founding Doctor
HealthTap ClubMD
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