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Vascular surgeons will survive these ‘troubled waters,’ says SVS president
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is a “solidly built bridge” across the troubled waters of the coronavirus pandemic, president Kim Hodgson, MD, today proclaimed. The path to the other side of the current COVID-19 crisis may not be clear…
Prominent Seattle hospital issues COVID-19 clinical practice guidelines for vascular surgery
A prominent hospital operating on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington state has released a set of clinical practice guidelines for vascular surgery. They were put together by Benjamin W. Starnes, MD, professor and chief in the division…
Physician-developed respirator device offers one possible solution to PPE shortages
Surgeons and other healthcare professionals aren’t hanging around waiting for depleted personal protective equipment (PPE) to be replenished. Amid COVID-19-related shortages, ingenuity, creativity and craftsmanship have come to the fore. Social media swirl with tales of healthcare professionals fashioning and…
American College of Surgeons releases new clinical guidance document for elective surgical case triage during COVID-19
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has issued guidance for surgeons to curtail recommendations for elective surgical procedures to preserve the necessary resources for care of critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. To assist in surgical decision-making in curtailing…
Wellness: Of dreaming in blood and the ‘moral injury’ contained in a healthcare setting
Have you ever “dreamt in blood”? A vivid, waking nightmare that reminds you of exsanguinating hemorrhage that can’t be stopped? I have. An Iraqi war fighter who sustained catastrophic explosive lower-extremity and truncal wounds and required far-forward damage control resuscitation…
National emergency loosens restrictions on use of telemedicine, says VESS secretary
Performance of telemedicine has been made easier and more accessible after regulations and limitations on its use were waived in the wake of the declaration of a national emergency sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Misty Humphries, MD, secretary…
VESS: Vascular surgeons urged to avoid admissions not ‘immediate’ threat to life and limb amid coronavirus pandemic
Vascular surgeons have been urged to support the health of the entire U.S. population “by immediately reducing resource expenditure, avoiding all surgical admissions unless immediately life or limb threatening and, most importantly, by staying home.” The advisory came in a…
Advocate or adversary? Perils baked into the relationship between physicians and patients
Patients with complex illnesses may not be eligible for hospital admission unless their diagnoses meet InterQual Criteria or Milliman Care Guidelines—hurdles patients must first pass through in order to be admitted. Forget how bad the patient feels; an admission may…
Straub Medical announces first patient treated in US with Rotarex S atherectomy device
Straub Medical, the US direct-sales subsidiary of Swiss outfit Straub Medical AG, has announced the launch and first intervention performed with the Rotarex S atherectomy device designed for treating occlusive peripheral vascular disease (OPVD). Baljeet Uppal, MD, of Pinnacle Vein…
Letter from Seattle: Amid COVID-19 pandemic, time to act is long past due
SEATTLE—We live in unprecedented times. On Jan. 19, patient zero arrived in the United States at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after returning from a visit to his family in Wuhan, China. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 20. Fast forward…