June’s top stories spanned a range of presentations from the 2022 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) in Boston (June 15–18), covering topics including burnout among vascular surgeons, amputation rates in Black and Hispanic CLTI patients, and VAM’s inaugural Women’s Section education session. Vascular Specialist also talked presidential priorities with new SVS president Michael Dalsing, MD.
1. Open repair of infrarenal aortic aneurysm proves preferable to endovascular repair
As part of the VAM International Fast Talk session on the morning of Wednesday, June 15, Emiliano Chisci, MD, from San Giovanni di Dio Hospital in Florence, Italy, presented the results of a 15-year follow-up of open repair (OSR) of an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
2. Vascular surgeons ‘have a role to play’ in transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures
Vascular surgery assistance in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) can facilitate safe and effective device introduction through cases involving challenging femoral or iliac access. This was the conclusion delivered by Enrico Gallitto, MD, from the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, during VAM 2022.
3. An antidote for burnout: Vascular surgeons as hospital administrators
4. New SVS president outlines priorities for his tenure as Society aims to reach out
Michael Dalsing, MD, who took over as Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) president at VAM 2022, talks about the priorities he has set out for his time at the helm, which include advocating for vascular surgery amid the recurring threat of Medicare payment cuts, furthering the Society’s efforts to build brand awareness of the specialty, and contributing to the quest to broaden access to quality vascular care.
5. Researchers report higher three-year amputation and reintervention rates in Black and Hispanic CLTI patients
In a study of over 7,000 chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) patients, researchers found that Black and Hispanic patients had higher three-year amputation and reintervention rates; survival, however, was higher among Black patients and similar between Hispanic and White patients. Aderike Anjorin, BA, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, delivered these findings during the William J. von Liebig Forum at VAM.
6. Study of post-carotid endarterectomy surveillance prompts protocol discussion
The results of an analysis of nearly 2,000 carotid endarterectomies (CEAs) “challenge the notion” that patients benefit significantly from the current post-operative surveillance guidelines, and suggest that these may be contributing to “oversurveillance”—an issue that should be addressed in future protocols for patient management post-CEA.
7. F/BEVAR has high technical success and low mortality in chronic post-dissection TAAA
Fenestrated/branched endovascular aneurysm repair (F/BEVAR) is associated with high technical success and low mortality in patients with chronic post-dissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (PD-TAAA). This conclusion was presented by Mohamed A. Abdelhalim, MBChB, a PhD research fellow at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, England, who detailed a multicenter, transatlantic experience with F/ BEVAR for chronic PD-TAAAs during VAM 2022.
8. Talking about women surgeons’ lives and careers
Women—and more than a few men—flocked to the inaugural VAM education session of the Society for Vascular Surgery’s new Women’s Section. The topics of “Supporting Women Vascular Surgeons—From Recruitment through Senior Leadership” reflected the name with sessions on the needs of the youngest generation of women vascular surgeons, radiation and women, and how senior women surgeons can leave a legacy.
9. First results from BEST-CLI poised to reveal ‘very low’ quality of life for patients entering the trial, especially women
An analysis from the Best Endovascular versus Best Surgical Therapy in Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia (BEST-CLI) trial presented at VAM 2022 demonstrated patient-specific variables such as self-reported female gender, current smoking, impaired mobility and opioid use are associated with lower health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) as captured by multiple measurement tools.
10. Vascular surgery review book seeks to plug hole in VSITE preparation process
When University of Massachusetts Medical School integrated vascular surgery resident Thomas Creeden, DO, was preparing for his first Vascular Surgery In-Training Exam (VSITE), it struck him there was a gap in the market. While those training in most other surgical specialties had access to a high-yield textbook with which to prepare for exams, boards and even rotations, he mused, vascular surgery did not.
