2017’s most frequently asked questions about vein and artery disease

CHICAGO, Illinois, December 18, 2017 – For patients and their families, when the doctor talks about vascular disease it can be baffling. Vascular diseases have long, complicated names or acronyms and refer to parts of the body we sometimes don’t understand.

With her research, Omaida C. Velazquez, MD, searches for "what’s missing today that we can make available for tomorrow’s patients." She presented at the 2017 Vascular Research Initiatives Conference, discussing gene therapy and peripheral arterial disease. Abstracts are being accepted through Jan. 10, 2018, for the May 9 conference.

News From SVS

SVS members: have you ever dreamed about planning and running an event to help improve your community’s vascular health?

Now’s your chance. The SVS Foundation has launched the Community Awareness and Prevention Project Grants, to help members in community practice environments conduct projects that address wellness and disease prevention and emphasize patient education, public awareness or risk assessment.

If you work with PAs, please urge them to apply

Thanks to requests and feedback from physician assistants, the SVS has created a new membership section for PAs. In just a short time, we have already seen a significant and heartwarming response from incoming members.

Don't be taken by surprise, learn what disability insurance you need

With a new year on the horizon, SVS members might want to do a wellness check – not of their health, but of their disability insurance coverage to see if they are significantly under-insured.

SVS offers individual disability plans with three companies – Principal Life Insurance Company, Standard Life and Lloyd’s – through its Affinity Program of expanded benefits.

“Early Carotid Endarterectomy Performed 2 To 5 Days After the Onset of Neurologic Symptoms Leads to Comparable Results to Carotid Endarterectomy Performed at Later Time Points.” Journal of Vascular Surgery, December 2017.

CHICAGO, Illinois, December 2017 – A newly published analysis suggests that the optimal timing of a carotid endarterectomy is after 48 hours but within the first week after a major or minor stroke.

ADDING LEADERSHIP TO THE LEARNING PORTFOLIO OF A VASCULAR SURGEON
BY NASIM HEDAYATI, MD ON BEHALF OF THE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSITY COMMITTEE

This is the latest column in this year’s series highlighting the evidence-based behaviors and attributes that define great leadership. Based on 25 years of research by Kouzes and Posner in their book "The Leadership Challenge," we are focusing on five "practices" routinely embraced by successful leaders:

Two big initiatives and enhancements are on tap for the Vascular Quality Initiative for 2018:

Optimizing the vascular team has been a major theme of the SVS this past year during Ron Fairman’s presidency, and SVS President Dr. R. Clement Darling III has substantially accelerated the pace of activity during his current term. In a historic decision, on Oct. 1, the SVS Executive Board established a new organizational structure called "Sections," and approved the first proposed one, for Physician Assistants.

It’s nearly time for many SVS members to renew their liability insurance. This year, members have access to a top-notch plan for their practices and institutions.