Articles & Press Releases
Recent Articles
References for December VA article
The below are the references for the article about research opportunities within the Department of Veterans Affairs, which ran in the December 2020 Specialist.
President Dalman reflects on year of adversity—and positive change
The last nine months took away much. The Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) was canceled. The Vascular Research Initiatives Conference (VRIC) suffered a similar fate—its content latterly resuscitated in virtual form last month. The traditional Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) presidential handover, too, followed an unorthodox route.
Present Imperfect
Psychologists place great emphasis on the object permanence milestone, but object impermanence is the more brutal lesson. My experience is now familiar and commonplace. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost a parent during the pandemic. Our usual methods of closure have been stripped from us. People are dying in isolation, and the ones they leave behind must often grieve alone. Our failure to control the pandemic has had profound psychological consequences beyond the endless death toll. Our country has risen to similar challenges before, and I believe it will again if we learn from the mistakes we made this year. To accomplish this, we must create a complete account of the costs we have endured.
The power of groups: Invest in the SVS PAC
Humans are social animals, and, over time, they have found that their best times are spent in groups. We have just celebrated Thanksgiving, spending time with our most important group, our family, reflecting on our present life situation and giving thanks. And more holidays are to come.
Apply for research awards
Applications for three Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Foundation awards are coming up early in the new year.
Study findings support SVS practice guidelines for surveillance of small AAAs
The low rate of events that occur in small abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) supports the continuance of ultrasound surveillance every three years for those that measure between 3–3.9 cm and every year for those 4–4.9cm, researchers found.
VAM 2021 taking shape, schedule changes to expand programming
Though many individual components will remain the same, the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) will have a different look and feel.
Fund hope with the SVS Foundation
A gift to the SVS Foundation funds not just things—patient education fliers, research awards and community awareness projects—but also hope for a better future.
Society launches mobile apps for staging of CLTI
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has launched three new mobile apps to help guide surgeons in the treatment and management of chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI).
SVS member named to AMA RUC
The American Medical Association's Board of Trustees has named Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) longtime coding expert and member Robert M. Zwolak, MD, as the AMA alternative representative to the organization’s RVS Update Committee (RUC), and alternative vice chair.
Audible Bleeding now flows through SVS
The Society for Vascular Surgery would like to welcome the popular Audible Bleeding podcast into its communications family.
NESVS outgoing president makes diversity pitch
During the virtual annual meeting of the New England Society for Vascular Surgery (NESVS), outgoing president Marc L. Schermerhorn, MD, called for the NESVS to follow the lead of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) by creating a diversity task force.
Society for Vascular Surgery Launches Mobile Apps for Staging of Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia
ROSEMONT, ILL, Nov. 18, 2020 – The Society for Vascular Surgery introduces three new mobile apps to guide surgeons in the treatment and management of Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia (CLTI).
Dig deep this Giving Tuesday
Will you give on Giving Tuesday? This will be the SVS Foundation’s third year marking the annual global day of giving— Dec. 1, this year—which follows Thanksgiving and the big shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Varicose Versus Spider Veins: Understand the Difference and Know When to Seek Treatment Help
The vascular system is like the highway of the body – composed of blood vessels including arteries, veins and capillaries. Vascular disease is any condition of the almost 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the body; any complication along this highway can cause problems and health risk. In most cases, however, vascular conditions are highly treatable, often without surgery. Two common vein conditions include spider veins and varicose veins, but what are the differences?
Vascular surgeons encouraged to consult paclitaxel talking points document
Vascular surgeons are being encouraged to take consideration of a set of talking points about the risks and benefits of paclitaxel-equipped devices—developed by a multispecialty panel of medical societies—in discussions with their patients.
‘Smile’ to benefit SVS Foundation
The holidays are close upon us, and many Society for Vascular Surgery members will be shopping online this month and next.
SVS members in the news
Richard Lynn, MD, a vascular surgeon from Palm Beach, Florida, has been elected second vice-president-elect of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
Diabetes Awareness Month: The utility of SVS branding fliers for diabetic foot ulcers
November is Diabetes Awareness Month. The Branding Toolkit (see cover story) can help SVS members promote the valuable care they provide those with the disease.
Anatomy of a Branding Campaign: Making Vascular Surgery More Visible
Members asked; SVS listened. The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has launched a Branding Toolkit to help its members brand the specialty in order to elevate and differentiate their practices. This first set of branding tools tells referring physicians what vascular surgeons do and why they are critical partners when it comes to treating their patients with circulatory disease.
SVS details opposition, support to CMS proposed rules
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has submitted comment letters to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on two proposed rules that directly affect SVS members: the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems (HOPPS).
Virtual VRIC is here
The 2020 Vascular Research Initiatives Conference is repurposed as a virtual event—and is coming to a screen near you this month.
Freischlag unveiled as ACS president-elect
Julie Ann Freischlag, MD, the first and so far only female president of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), will be the next president of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
Recent Articles
Selected content to be live-streamed at VAM
Organizers stress that the best way to experience the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) is in-person, surrounded by friends and colleagues, participating in small-group sessions and seeing all the devices and information available in the Exhibit Hall. All the abstract-based plenary sessions will be live-streamed, as will four international events, specialty lectures and the two presidential addresses. A total of 15 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits can be earned from among the streamed sessions.
Why donate to the SVS PAC?
A few years ago, in his presidential address to the Midwestern Vascular Surgical Society, Mark Mattos, MD, spoke eloquently about the need to “protect our specialty.” A large part of this, he argued, is protecting our patients; no other specialty in medicine can provide the type of comprehensive vascular care that we offer. The daily reality we all face is the potential for declining Medicare reimbursement for our services.
Does this loofah make me look gay?
I doubt many people remember a specific time they watched C-SPAN, let alone the exact date. But on Dec. 18, 2010, there I was, in my Durham, North Carolina, apartment, watching the U.S. Senate vote on the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010. Up until 1993, the military forbade openly gay people from serving, even though it was common knowledge that gay men and women have served this country in every war.
Back in the room: Registration now open for Vascular Annual Meeting
Registration for the live, in-person 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) has begun—and organizers promise you won’t want to miss the meeting. VAM will be Aug. 18 to 21 in beautiful San Diego, California. Educational programming will be presented across all four days of the conference. The Exhibit Hall will be open Aug. 19 and 20. The registration and housing kick-off is especially welcome, say Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) leaders, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of VAM 2020 and also prompted SVS to move this year’s VAM from June to the August dates.
New SVS vice president, revised bylaws set to be unveiled at June 16 Annual Business Meeting
Members, be sure to register for the June 16 Virtual Annual Business Meeting, the first of two business meetings for 2021. Registration is required to assure A quorum. Register at vascular.org/ABM1Register. The second meeting will be held Saturday, Aug. 21, during the Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM). The Wednesday, June 16, meeting will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Members will hear reports from President Ronald L. Dalman, MD, Secretary Amy Reed, MD, and Treasurer Keith Calligaro, MD. Nominating Committee Chair R. Clement Darling III, MD, will present his report, announce the results of the election for SVS vice president and on bylaws revisions, and introduce the 2021–22 Officers.
Propofol Use during Catheter-Directed Interventions for Intermediate-Risk Pulmonary Embolism is Associated with Major Adverse Events
A single-center retrospective study suggests avoiding Propofol or intra-procedural sedation during catheter-directed interventions (CDIs) for intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) because it can have detrimental effects. Propofol is the most commonly used parenteral anesthetic agent in the United States, extensively used for minor and outpatient surgical procedures because of its rapid onset and reversal of action, and in intensive care units for maintenance of coma.
SVS Member Alert
Medtronic is making updated patient management recommendations related to its voluntary recall of the Valiant Navion™ Thoracic Stent Graft on February 17th, which included the patient recommendation for physicians to follow best clinical practice and make best efforts to evaluate patients with at
Peer-to-peer coaching program created to strengthen wellness support
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and the Academy for Surgical Coaching are developing a first-of-its-kind coaching program that strengthens wellness support for vascular surgeons. Studies show they—along with physicians across specialties—are experiencing an increase in burnout, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.
#SVSTweetChat: Connecting to the online vascular community
With social media having such a prevalent presence today, it continues to play a significant role in connecting surgeons, prospective trainees and medical students throughout the vascular community. The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Social Media Committee has launched its newest initiative to keep members connected, the new monthly #SVSTweetChat series. Each month, expert panelists will share career advice, hot topics of debate, and innovations in the vascular field with the Twitter community.
Voting on bylaws, vice president begins May 17
Voting runs from May 17 to 24 on proposed bylaws amendments and for the position of vice president of the Society for Vascular Surgery. Immediately preceding the opening of voting, SVS leaders will host a Town Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Central Daylight Time, “Leading the Way in 2021: An Evening with the Appointments and Nominating Committees.” President Ronald L. Dalman, MD, will facilitate the Town Hall.
Honor mentor with gift to SVS Foundation
Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) members can honor their mentors in a wonderful and consequential way by making a donation to the SVS Foundation in their mentors’ honor. Several members did just that for National Doctors’ Day, with $3,100 in contributions to recognize eight different SVS members. SVS members who would like to do the same may email the Foundation at SVSFoundation@vascularsociety.org for more information. When the Foundation’s new website—now in progress—is completed, honorarium gifts will be available online.
Friday at VAM to feature session on diversity
Racial and ethnically-based disparities exist in healthcare. To highlight these disparities, and what the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is doing to address them, the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) will feature a special session on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). It will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 20, and will immediately precede the 2021 Presidential Address from Ronald L. Dalman, MD, at 11 a.m.
VAM: SVS PAC donors to be recognized at VAM
The SVS Political Action Committee (PAC) is critically important for our voices to be heard in the places where policies that affect all of our practices are being made. The PAC’s role is one of advocacy and influence—to educate Congress on the important policies and referendums that can have a direct effect on our patients and our practices.
Apply for VAM travel scholarships by May 19
Medical students and general surgery residents have until May 19 to apply for Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Annual Meeting travel scholarships. The scholarships are the SVS General Surgery Resident/Medical Student VAM Travel Scholarship and the SVS Diversity Medical Student VAM Travel Scholarship. Each provides not only a travel award to underwrite expenses to attend VAM, but also complimentary meeting registration, a mentorship program, and a dedicated educational and networking program.
Registration to open for VAM 2021
Registration and housing are set to open in mid-May for the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM), which takes place Aug. 18–21 in San Diego. Educational programming is ready to run across all four days, with exhibits open Thursday and Friday. The meeting will be subject to safety and health protocols likely to change between now and August.
Recent Articles
Selected content to be live-streamed at VAM
Organizers stress that the best way to experience the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) is in-person, surrounded by friends and colleagues, participating in small-group sessions and seeing all the devices and information available in the Exhibit Hall. All the abstract-based plenary sessions will be live-streamed, as will four international events, specialty lectures and the two presidential addresses. A total of 15 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits can be earned from among the streamed sessions.
Why donate to the SVS PAC?
A few years ago, in his presidential address to the Midwestern Vascular Surgical Society, Mark Mattos, MD, spoke eloquently about the need to “protect our specialty.” A large part of this, he argued, is protecting our patients; no other specialty in medicine can provide the type of comprehensive vascular care that we offer. The daily reality we all face is the potential for declining Medicare reimbursement for our services.
Does this loofah make me look gay?
I doubt many people remember a specific time they watched C-SPAN, let alone the exact date. But on Dec. 18, 2010, there I was, in my Durham, North Carolina, apartment, watching the U.S. Senate vote on the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010. Up until 1993, the military forbade openly gay people from serving, even though it was common knowledge that gay men and women have served this country in every war.
Back in the room: Registration now open for Vascular Annual Meeting
Registration for the live, in-person 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) has begun—and organizers promise you won’t want to miss the meeting. VAM will be Aug. 18 to 21 in beautiful San Diego, California. Educational programming will be presented across all four days of the conference. The Exhibit Hall will be open Aug. 19 and 20. The registration and housing kick-off is especially welcome, say Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) leaders, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of VAM 2020 and also prompted SVS to move this year’s VAM from June to the August dates.
New SVS vice president, revised bylaws set to be unveiled at June 16 Annual Business Meeting
Members, be sure to register for the June 16 Virtual Annual Business Meeting, the first of two business meetings for 2021. Registration is required to assure A quorum. Register at vascular.org/ABM1Register. The second meeting will be held Saturday, Aug. 21, during the Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM). The Wednesday, June 16, meeting will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Members will hear reports from President Ronald L. Dalman, MD, Secretary Amy Reed, MD, and Treasurer Keith Calligaro, MD. Nominating Committee Chair R. Clement Darling III, MD, will present his report, announce the results of the election for SVS vice president and on bylaws revisions, and introduce the 2021–22 Officers.
Propofol Use during Catheter-Directed Interventions for Intermediate-Risk Pulmonary Embolism is Associated with Major Adverse Events
A single-center retrospective study suggests avoiding Propofol or intra-procedural sedation during catheter-directed interventions (CDIs) for intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) because it can have detrimental effects. Propofol is the most commonly used parenteral anesthetic agent in the United States, extensively used for minor and outpatient surgical procedures because of its rapid onset and reversal of action, and in intensive care units for maintenance of coma.
SVS Member Alert
Medtronic is making updated patient management recommendations related to its voluntary recall of the Valiant Navion™ Thoracic Stent Graft on February 17th, which included the patient recommendation for physicians to follow best clinical practice and make best efforts to evaluate patients with at
Peer-to-peer coaching program created to strengthen wellness support
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and the Academy for Surgical Coaching are developing a first-of-its-kind coaching program that strengthens wellness support for vascular surgeons. Studies show they—along with physicians across specialties—are experiencing an increase in burnout, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.
#SVSTweetChat: Connecting to the online vascular community
With social media having such a prevalent presence today, it continues to play a significant role in connecting surgeons, prospective trainees and medical students throughout the vascular community. The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Social Media Committee has launched its newest initiative to keep members connected, the new monthly #SVSTweetChat series. Each month, expert panelists will share career advice, hot topics of debate, and innovations in the vascular field with the Twitter community.
Voting on bylaws, vice president begins May 17
Voting runs from May 17 to 24 on proposed bylaws amendments and for the position of vice president of the Society for Vascular Surgery. Immediately preceding the opening of voting, SVS leaders will host a Town Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Central Daylight Time, “Leading the Way in 2021: An Evening with the Appointments and Nominating Committees.” President Ronald L. Dalman, MD, will facilitate the Town Hall.
Honor mentor with gift to SVS Foundation
Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) members can honor their mentors in a wonderful and consequential way by making a donation to the SVS Foundation in their mentors’ honor. Several members did just that for National Doctors’ Day, with $3,100 in contributions to recognize eight different SVS members. SVS members who would like to do the same may email the Foundation at SVSFoundation@vascularsociety.org for more information. When the Foundation’s new website—now in progress—is completed, honorarium gifts will be available online.
Friday at VAM to feature session on diversity
Racial and ethnically-based disparities exist in healthcare. To highlight these disparities, and what the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is doing to address them, the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) will feature a special session on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). It will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 20, and will immediately precede the 2021 Presidential Address from Ronald L. Dalman, MD, at 11 a.m.
VAM: SVS PAC donors to be recognized at VAM
The SVS Political Action Committee (PAC) is critically important for our voices to be heard in the places where policies that affect all of our practices are being made. The PAC’s role is one of advocacy and influence—to educate Congress on the important policies and referendums that can have a direct effect on our patients and our practices.
Apply for VAM travel scholarships by May 19
Medical students and general surgery residents have until May 19 to apply for Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Annual Meeting travel scholarships. The scholarships are the SVS General Surgery Resident/Medical Student VAM Travel Scholarship and the SVS Diversity Medical Student VAM Travel Scholarship. Each provides not only a travel award to underwrite expenses to attend VAM, but also complimentary meeting registration, a mentorship program, and a dedicated educational and networking program.
Registration to open for VAM 2021
Registration and housing are set to open in mid-May for the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM), which takes place Aug. 18–21 in San Diego. Educational programming is ready to run across all four days, with exhibits open Thursday and Friday. The meeting will be subject to safety and health protocols likely to change between now and August.