Guideline Topics Selected By SVS Committee

The Practice Guidelines Committee, established in June 2006 as part of the 2006-07 Society for Vascular Surgery Strategic Plan Initiative, promotes professionalism through research and standard setting. The committee is responsible for accelerating the development of SVS practice guidelines.

An educational retreat was held on Aug. 23 to provide the committee with an introduction to the principles of evidence-based medicine and the GRADE method for developing evidence-based consensus guidelines.

Dr. Gordon Guyatt, Master University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, who is a leader of evidence-based approaches to clinical practice, presented an overview of the methodology that has been used by the American College of Chest Physicians.

The committee recently identified a list of appropriate guideline topics and appointed writing group chairs and workgroup members.

The writing group chairs are implementing plans for producing evidence-based guidelines and, depending on funding available, several of the guidelines should be published within the next year.

The following guideline topics have been selected by the committee:

• AV Access
• Carotid Artery Disease
• Infrarenal Aortoiliac Aneurysmal Disease
• Lower Extremity Arterial Disease
• The Vascular Laboratory
• Thoracic Aorta Disease
• Venous Disease