Clinical guidelines from the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) are pivotal in directing practitioners’ management of complex vascular conditions.
However, the development and release of these guidelines have not been synchronized, resulting in differences and gaps in recommendations. VAM 2024 attendees were presented with this sentiment during a Wednesday postgraduate session focused on the discrepancies between the clinical guidelines of two societies.
Ronald L. Dalman, MD, from Stanford University in Stanford, California, and Jonathon R. Boyle, MBChB, from the University of Cambridge, England, introduced the session, which examined the real-world implications of these discrepancies.
Dalman remarked, “Understanding why these disparities exist is crucial for improving patient outcomes. This initiative aims to ensure that vascular specialists worldwide can deliver care based on a comprehensive understanding of global recommendations, ultimately promoting better patient care.”
Key topics included the management of aortic graft infection, asymptomatic carotid stenosis, intermittent claudication and incompetent perforators in venous disease.
Contributions from specialists highlighted how scientific evidence, cultural nuances, societal variations and potential personal biases among guideline authors contribute to these differences.
