In this issue:
- We hear from five vascular surgeons on the latest signal around paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB) use in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD)—an increased risk of major amputation—recently reported by Katsanos and colleagues (p. 1 and 4–5)
- Structural changes made to the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) prove to be a hit with attendees, the VAM program co-chairs reveal (p. 2)
- Key players behind the first Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) appropriate use criteria (AUC)—which covers intermittent claudication—unpack some of the details of the document’s development process ahead of its anticipated publication (p. 6)
- It was a burning question posed from the VAM conference floor, and it led to some approving social media nods in its aftermath: Does the tone of conversation around the vascular anatomy of females need to morph into a discussion about the availability of devices that fit the female anatomy? (p. 10–11)
- A new study published in a special issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) finds amputation rates are higher for people with PAD who are poor or Black (p. 15)
- Corner Stitch: McGill University, Montreal, vascular surgery resident Anna Kinio, MD, discusses the art of surgery in the present moment (p. 18)
