American Vein & Vascular Institute owners Gordon F. Gibbs, MD, and Erin Gibbs have returned from 10 days in China teaching Chinese doctors contemporary vascular healthcare practices.

In partnership with Medtronic, Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs recently traveled to Beijing and Shanghai, teaching 50 Chinese doctors through presentations, training sessions and patient visits.

During their 10-day visit, Dr. Gibbs met with physicians and patients, demonstrating modern surgical procedures for venous disease to improve patient outcomes in China.

In China, varicose veins are commonly treated in the hospital with traditional surgical stripping, an invasive procedure that requires general anesthesia and up to a three-day stay in the hospital after the procedure.

In the United States, the same varicose veins can be performed on an outpatient basis, utilizing a more contemporary minimally invasive method with a catheter insertion, and the patient is oftentimes back to normal activities the same day.

“American Vein is focused on decreasing the great disparity in the level of care available to patients in China as compared to United States’ patients,” Dr. Gibbs said.

This trip was the first visit of Dr. Gibbs to see physicians in China. Dr. Gibbs, in partnership with Medtronic, has hosted doctors from China several times in the American Vein Colorado Springs and Metro Denver clinics (americanvein.com).

Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs opened the first American Vein & Vascular Institute (formerly Rocky Mountain Vein Institute) in 2009 located in Pueblo, Colorado. The network of vein and arterial centers has since grown to eight locations with more than 50 employees in Colorado and Texas. VTN