With experience as a pharmaceutical executive, Ari Kellen funds promising healthcare and medical device companies. A a member of the board of medical research company Theraclion, Ari Kellen helps lead the development of noninvasive treatments for conditions such as varicose veins.
Varicose veins arise when the walls and valves of blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart weaken. Weakened valves prevent blood from flowing to the heart for oxygenation, causing blood to pool in the veins or even flow backward. This deoxygenated blood causes the blood vessels to swell and appear blue or purple under the skin.
Varicose veins usually appear in the legs and may arise due to lifestyle choices like a lack of exercise, sitting or standing in one position for long periods, or wearing high heels or clothing with tight waistbands. Noninvasive treatments include dietary changes, an exercise routine that will not exacerbate the condition, or procedures like endovenous thermal ablation that use ultrasound to guide a laser to close a varicose vein. The primary surgical treatment, ligation and stripping, involves tying off the varicose vein to stop blood from pooling or removing the vein entirely.
