Vascular Teams in Peripheral Vascular Disease

Abstract

Peripheral vascular disease affects millions of individuals worldwide, and results in significant morbidity and mortality. The complex nature of the disease, the presence of multiple comorbidities, and the existence of a wide variety of therapeutic options suggests that a multidisciplinary approach to treatment has the potential to improve care of these patients. The success of the heart team for complex coronary artery and structural heart disease could serve as a model for the efficient and effective management of patients with peripheral vascular disease. In this paper, the authors propose a multidisciplinary vascular team approach for the treatment of critical limb ischemia, pulmonary embolism, acute ischemic stroke, and acute aortic syndromes. The successful implementation of such vascular teams has the potential to significantly enhance quality of care, improve clinical outcomes, and reduce costs. Prospective evaluation is warranted to determine how to best integrate this approach into routine clinical care.

Keywords: aortic dissection; critical limb ischemia; multidisciplinary team; peripheral artery disease; pulmonary embolism; stroke.