Dr. Chris LeSar, MD, FACS, RVT is a Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon who built one of the most efficient, patient-centered vascular practices in the U.S. In this week's episode of the Life of Flow Podcast, he shares how he left academic medicine to create the Vascular Institute of Chattanooga, a model focused on rapid access, team efficiency, and amputation prevention.

From growing pains and business structure to device innovation and trans-tibial access, Dr. LeSar gives an unfiltered look at how surgical independence can redefine patient care and outcomes.

🎧 This episode is a masterclass in surgical innovation, how curiosity and conviction drive better care, faster access, and real change in the vascular field.

03:41 Early life, academic background, and what led him from physics to medicine

05:40 Why he left academic medicine to build his own outpatient vascular practice

07:18 Scaling challenges and the importance of front-desk efficiency and referral coordination

10:59 Balancing growth, referrals, and relationship management in private practice

12:33 Device procurement freedom: choosing tools that actually work

13:47 Introducing the Revolution device and how it simplifies workflow

19:15 Technical insights on tibial access and embolization management

24:23 Why 80% of his PAD work now starts with tibial access

27:16 The “aha moment”: seeing the Veryan Revolution device’s active aspiration in action

💡 Who Should Listen

Vascular and endovascular surgeons, interventional specialists, and MedTech professionals interested in private practice innovation, efficiency, and real-world device application.

About Chris LeSar, MD, FACS, RVT

Dr. Chris LeSar is a Vascular/Endovascular Surgeon certified by the American Board of Surgery (ABS) and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).

Dr. LeSar is an experienced vascular surgeon working in the Chattanooga region for the last 19 years, specializing in vascular and minimally invasive endovascular techniques in both the inpatient and outpatient office setting. In 2015, Dr. LeSar founded the Vascular Institute of Chattanooga, a Regional Amputation Prevention Center, and brings his intricate knowledge of advanced techniques for the treatment of carotid, mesenteric, renal, venous, and peripheral vascular disease to the center.

He received his medical degree and completed his general surgery residency at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and his vascular fellowship training at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Lincoln Memorial University, a member of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), and a founding member of the Outpatient Endovascular Interventional Society (OEIS).

Connect with Dr. LeSar

💼 LinkedIn: Chris LeSar, MD., FACS

About Veryan

Veryan was founded in 2005 as the result of a technology spin out from Imperial College, London, based on the pioneering work by Professor Colin Caro (Emeritus Professor of Physiological Mechanics, Dept. of Bioengineering Imperial College) on the link between vessel geometry, blood flow mechanics and vascular disease.

Veryan used its understanding of swirling flow and its expertise in research and development to design, develop, and patent the highly innovative three-dimensional (3D), nitinol (nickel-titanium alloy) BioMimics 3D Vascular Stent System.

Learn more about Veryan

🌐 Website: veryanmed.com

💼 LinkedIn: Veryan Medical

🐦 X: @VeryanMed1

Follow Life of Flow

📲 Instagram: ⁠@LifeofFlowPodcast⁠

👍 Facebook: ⁠Life of Flow Podcast⁠

💼 LinkedIn: ⁠Life of Flow Podcast⁠

🐦 X: ⁠@VascularPodcast

If this episode gave you a new perspective on the future of surgery, innovation, and how passion fuels progress in medicine, share it with a colleague who would appreciate the conversation. And if you’ve been enjoying Life of Flow, leaving a quick review helps more specialists and innovators discover these discussions.