In March, the most read stories from Vascular Specialist include a new analysis which suggests of a ‘lack of reach’ of vascular voices within news coverage of vascular disease; a vascular surgery resident reflects on their experience of match day; and Jean Bismuth, MD, takes over presidential duties at the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS) president during the organization’s 51st Annual Symposium in Scottsdale, Arizona, amid many more stories.
1. New data underscore physician experience levels required to derive benefit from transfemoral carotid artery stenting
Data from a new study that maps out the levels at which adverse postoperative events decrease following transfemoral carotid artery stenting (TfCAS) based on depth of physician experience with the procedure represent an “absolute minimum threshold of learning,” the lead author Marc Schermerhorn, MD, chief of vascular surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston says.
2. The devil we don’t know: The case against private equity in medicine
Malachi Sheahan III—the chief medical editor of Vascular Specialist—write on private equity in vascular surgery. “I believe PE acquisitions are just a symptom of healthcare’s overall problems. Physicians are selling their practices because it is too hard to remain financially solvent on their own. Paperwork, legal requirements, electronic health records and insurance practices have all placed incredible strain on private practitioners.” Read more.
3. Multi-society PAD Pulse Alliance aims to highlight importance of patient education
Marlén Gomez comments on Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) initiatives as part of the multispecialty PAD Pulse Alliance and the Get a Pulse on PAD public awareness campaign. The campaign is aimed at educating and raising awareness of the risk factors and potential symptoms of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) among Americans. As the campaign gathers steam, the SVS is focused on closing the health equity gap with the aim of equipping patients with essential tools for early detection and treatment, she writes.
4. New analysis points to lack of vascular surgical voices in news coverage of vascular disease
A new study set to be aired at the 2024 Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS) annual meeting (March 16–20) in Scottsdale, Arizona, sheds a statistical spotlight on the state of the specialty’s reach into the mainstream consciousness.
5. Non-pneumatic compression device performed better than advanced pneumatic compression for lower extremity lymphedema
A new study presented during the 2024 American Venous Forum (AVF) in Tampa, Florida (March 3–6), that compared a novel non-pneumatic compression device with an advanced pneumatic compression modality in the treatment of lower extremity lymphedema demonstrated “statistically significant disruption” in limb volume that favored the former.
6. Endologix initiates postmarket study of the Detour system
Endologix has announced the initiation of the Percutaneous transmural arterial bypass (PTAB)1 postmarket study. This study marks the beginning of a comprehensive postmarket study aimed at evaluating the real-world performance of the Detour system in patients undergoing treatment for long complex superficial femoral artery (SFA) disease.
7. Vascular surgery resident reflects on Match Day experience
Integrated vascular surgery resident Eric Smith, MD, tells Vascular Specialist how he handled the lead up to Match Day. For medical students hoping to specialize in vascular surgery, the eagerly anticipated Match Day (March 15) marks a pivotal career moment. Organized by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), it is the culmination of years of hard work, education and clinical experience.
8. SCVS 2024: Bismuth becomes 2024–25 Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery president
Jean Bismuth, MD, took over as Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS) president during the organization’s 51st Annual Symposium in Scottsdale, Arizona (March 16–20). The new University of South Florida chief of vascular surgery followed M. Ashraf Mansour, MD, academic chair in the Department of Surgery at Spectrum Health Medical Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
9. Personalized, precision medicine is key to the future of aortic repair
Bijan Modarai, MD, London, UK, set out and addressed this conundrum at the 27th European Vascular Course (EVC; 3–5 March, Maastricht, The Netherlands). He argued that a lack of evidence for predicting longevity—a key factor in deciding whether a patient should undergo aortic aneurysm repair—necessitates a future move towards precision medicine and personalised treatment to avoid operating on patients unnecessarily.
10. First patient enrolled in IDE study of Aquedeon Medical’s Duett vascular graft system
Aquedeon Medical has announced the initiation of an investigational device exemption (IDE) clinical trial to study the Duett vascular graft system. A press release reveals that, this February, the first enrolled patient underwent open surgical aortic arch reconstruction at the University of Pennsylvania Presbyterian Medical Center (Philadelphia, USA). During the surgery, the Duett vascular graft system was successfully deployed to connect the native left common carotid artery to the surgical graft.
