Physician Spotlight: Tammam Obeid, MD

Q: Why did you decide to become a doctor?

A: I have always been a caretaker. I used to care for local stray cats and dogs as a child, for my grandparents as a teenager, and for my family and my patients as a doctor. I have also been through several medical hardships with close family members. People are most vulnerable whenever they or their loved ones fall ill. I always felt that being there for someone in need is a privilege.

Q: How do you develop strong and trusting relationships with patients?

A: It’s a simple formula, really, but I find it very effective and gratifying. I always set realistic expectations and treatment goals with my patients from day one. I lay out all the available treatments for their condition and give them my honest opinion. What would I recommend to my own dad or mom if they were in their shoes? Then, the final decision is the patients. They take control of their condition to ultimately achieve their desired goals.

Q: What are the conditions/treatments of your primary focus?

A: Vascular disease—be it arterial or venous, anywhere in the body—is my specialty. I particularly enjoy and focus on limb salvage treatments, using both minimally invasive, state-of-the-art techniques such as angioplasty, stenting, and laser atherectomy, as well as more classical approaches such as open bypass surgery. There is no better feeling in the world than knowing you saved someone’s leg that day!

The artistic side of me also really enjoys the aesthetics of treating venous disease, from varicose veins to venous insufficiency. Having beautiful looking legs has a substantial effect on one’s psychological well-being, but the major benefit, in my experience, is the immediate relief from the aching and swelling associated with advanced venous disease and going back to normal everyday life.

Q: What are you most passionate about professionally?

A: I love taking care of patients and giving them back their quality of life. I always try to put myself in my patients’ shoes and see things the way they do so I can better help them achieve normalcy. It’s the small things that most people take for granted that make a huge difference. Some examples are not being able to put on socks or shoes in the morning or not being able to sleep continuously at night due to toe or calf pain. Also worrying about wearing shorts in the summer due to varicose veins. Being able to make such small problems go away with a simple same day procedure is a very satisfying experience.

Q: How would you describe your approach with patients?

A: Most people who know me describe me as a caretaker with a creative mind. I am not afraid to push the envelope or try something new. A patient is not just a “case” to me. Every patient has a unique background and a unique disease pattern, and every patient under my care receives an individualized treatment plan that meets their goals and suits their chosen way of life.

Q: In your practice, which vascular diseases do you treat most often?

A: Many patients come to see me for the treatment of:

• Critical limb ischemia and chronic limb ischemia
• Venous disease: varicose veins, venous insufficiency, spider, and reticular veins
• Aneurysmal disease: abdominal aortic aneurysms, visceral, and peripheral aneurysms such as femoral
• Carotid disease or stenosis
• Mesenteric ischemia
• Dialysis access

Q: What is it about StrideCare that sets you and your team apart?

A: We pride ourselves in pushing minimally invasive treatments for all vascular disease to the limit. At the end of the day, patient preference and good outcomes are what drive physicians towards once particular treatment over another. At StrideCare, we offer the full spectrum of surgical and medical treatments for arterial as well as venous disease. We work hard to achieve and maintain patient satisfaction and go the extra mile to help somebody save their leg or get rid of daily aching. We want patients to return to their usual activities as quickly as possible.

Q: Would you share a favorite patient success story?

A: A women and her husband once drove several hundred miles to see us for her chronic mesenteric ischemia. She had not been able to eat for 8-10 months prior and had lost more than 50 lbs. Two of her 3 arteries supplying the gut were completely blocked and the only one remaining (her inferior mesenteric artery) was 95% stenosed. She had already had a stent put in her 95% stenosed artery once before, but it failed within 24 hours. She continued to have intolerable abdominal pain and could not even take sips of water.

We had two options at the time: Open surgical bypass or a minimally invasive solution. Given her extremely malnourished state, any open surgical solution had a very high risk for bowel injury, poor wound healing, and a myriad of other complications. Despite unsuccessful prior attempts at stenting the remaining blood vessel, we opted for the minimally invasive approach. The entire procedure took about 45 minutes. We used laser atherectomy to open the old stent, utilizing a filter distally to protect the huge meandering artery that supplied the rest of her intestines. Then we re-lined the stent and extended it further up into the aorta.

That same day, the patient’s pain was completely gone, and she was able to tolerate minimal oral intake. Over the course of the following few weeks, she slowly went back to eating full meals with two to three protein shakes a day—something that she thought was next to impossible up until her surgery.

The procedure was meant as a “bridge” to get the patient more nutrients and better overall health prior to open bypass surgery. However, the last time I saw her, she had gained over 40 lbs. back and looked like a completely different person. She decided she does not need the open surgery if her stent is working because she felt as normal as ever.

Q: What are your passions, interests, and hobbies outside of helping patients? 

A: I love cooking—especially Mediterranean recipes, traveling and any outdoor activities that get me closer to nature. I also enjoy charcoal sketching and playing guitar whenever I need to relax and let my thoughts wander. Chess is also a favorite hobby of mine. I am an advocate for chess and follow American and International players regularly.