- Joined
- Jun 14, 2004
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http://www.vascularspecialistonline...ent=Dr. Russell Samson sees vascular surgeons
"However, the reasons for vascular surgeons becoming marginalized are even more complex... First is the fact that, as a specialty, we were late to the party. Let’s face it, vascular surgeons did not invent endovascular procedures. It was Charles Dotter... who started the revolution. In fact, many of our earlier vascular leaders were so unimpressed that it took years before presentations about endovascular procedures made it into the SVS annual meeting or became part of vascular surgical training. Admittedly, since then many advances in these procedures have resulted from the genius of some vascular surgeons, especially in the treatment of aortic aneurysms, but which catheter or wire is named after a surgeon? Which surgeon invented the latest stent, ablation catheter, or saphenous venous ablation method? We have largely benefited from the inspirational work of interventional radiologists. They have invented the technologies and pushed the boundaries that have allowed us to access pedal and radial arteries, obliterate calcified arterial plaque, place medicated balloons and stents, and replace venous stripping with less invasive ablations. Moreover, they proved that these procedures can be done in outpatient centers where the remuneration exceeds that which we can earn when these procedures are performed in a hospital. So should we complain when cardiologists or interventional radiologists mount major symposiums dealing with vascular conditions? Yes, we may be correct that only vascular surgeons have been trained to understand all the ramifications of vascular disorders. However, this is changing as radiology and cardiology training programs increasingly add peripheral vascular disease to their curricula. Further, although vascular training programs now involve a great deal of endovascular training, many still do not offer significant exposure to some of the more “radical” therapies such as pedal access and advanced CTO techniques."
Dr. Russell H. Samson is a physician in the practice of Samson, Showalter, Lepore, Nair, and Dorsay and clinical professor of surgery, Florida State University, Tallahassee. He is also the medical editor of Vascular Specialist.
"However, the reasons for vascular surgeons becoming marginalized are even more complex... First is the fact that, as a specialty, we were late to the party. Let’s face it, vascular surgeons did not invent endovascular procedures. It was Charles Dotter... who started the revolution. In fact, many of our earlier vascular leaders were so unimpressed that it took years before presentations about endovascular procedures made it into the SVS annual meeting or became part of vascular surgical training. Admittedly, since then many advances in these procedures have resulted from the genius of some vascular surgeons, especially in the treatment of aortic aneurysms, but which catheter or wire is named after a surgeon? Which surgeon invented the latest stent, ablation catheter, or saphenous venous ablation method? We have largely benefited from the inspirational work of interventional radiologists. They have invented the technologies and pushed the boundaries that have allowed us to access pedal and radial arteries, obliterate calcified arterial plaque, place medicated balloons and stents, and replace venous stripping with less invasive ablations. Moreover, they proved that these procedures can be done in outpatient centers where the remuneration exceeds that which we can earn when these procedures are performed in a hospital. So should we complain when cardiologists or interventional radiologists mount major symposiums dealing with vascular conditions? Yes, we may be correct that only vascular surgeons have been trained to understand all the ramifications of vascular disorders. However, this is changing as radiology and cardiology training programs increasingly add peripheral vascular disease to their curricula. Further, although vascular training programs now involve a great deal of endovascular training, many still do not offer significant exposure to some of the more “radical” therapies such as pedal access and advanced CTO techniques."
Dr. Russell H. Samson is a physician in the practice of Samson, Showalter, Lepore, Nair, and Dorsay and clinical professor of surgery, Florida State University, Tallahassee. He is also the medical editor of Vascular Specialist.