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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…
FDA official delivers government agency’s early reaction to latest contentious meta-analysis on paclitaxel-coated devices
HOLLYWOOD, Fla.—A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official delivered a talk which represents the government agency’s earliest public reaction to the latest meta-analysis suggesting significantly reduced amputation-free survival at one year when paclitaxel-coated balloons are applied in arteries below the…
‘There is no perfect job’: Benefits of working across VA system outlined by current practitioners
Many believe the adage, “There is no perfect job.” If your list of “musts” for a career in vascular surgery includes working with a completely unique patient population with unparalleled opportunities for career development, the VA (Department of Veterans Affairs)…
NICE aortic guidelines recommend discussion between physician and patient before offering any treatment
The U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has today published guidelines on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) diagnosis and management. Discussion between physicians and patients to consider the risks of any intervention versus no intervention is encouraged, and,…
National Kidney Foundation releases guideline for vascular access in dialysis patients
The American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD) has published the National Kidney Foundation’s KDOQI Clinical Practice Guideline for Vascular Access: 2019 Update, a completely revamped set of 26 individual guidelines for clinicians that focuses on dialysis access choices tailored to individual patients’…
Study: Lumbar spine stabilization surgery may be a risk factor in symptomatic venous outflow obstruction lesions
Lumbar spine stabilization surgery may be a risk factor in the development of symptomatic venous outflow obstruction lesions, a study published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders has found. Furthermore, writes lead author Peter J. Pappas,…
Updated USPSTF recommendations on screening for AAAs remain faithful to 2014 guidance, adding new material to body of evidence
Updated recommendations on screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) remain consistent with the 2014 guidance while incorporating new evidence. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation statement, published in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, was…