Introduction to this Issue of Seminars in Vascular Surgery

Introduction

The September 2021 issue of Seminars in Vascular Surgery is the second of a two-part series focusing on the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on vascular surgery and patients with vascular disease. As we write this editorial, worldwide deaths from COVID-19 exceed 4.2 million, with more than 198 million infections [1]. When the number includes excess deaths (factoring deaths from unreported infections and deaths related to disruptions of services) the number of COVID-19 deaths skyrockets to more than 13 million [2,3]. Each person who died has a name and a story. We send condolences to all who are mourning. With the highly contagious Delta variant running rampant, vaccination is more important now than ever [4]. We are optimistic that more than 4,111,866,262 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered worldwide as of August 1, 2021 and encourage the vascular community to stay vigilant [1].

In this issue of Seminars, we present a distinguished group of authors from around the world, enlightening the vascular community with their contributions. Dr Keng Siang Lee, Dr Sruthi Ranganathan (co-first authors), and colleagues present “A Scoping Review on the Changes in Vascular Surgical Practice During the Early Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Ryan Gupta, MD et al write on “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vascular Surgery: Health Care Systems, Economic, and Clinical Implications.” Dr Elizabeth Andraska and colleagues discuss “Health Care Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Jorge Miranda MD and colleagues explore the “Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Management of Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia.” Laura Nicolai, MD, PhD et al present a surgical technique: “Distal AV Fistula to Preserve Patency in SARS-CoV-2 Patients with Acute Limb Ischemia.” Linda Harris, MD and colleagues present “Venous Thromboembolism in Patients with COVID-19 Infection: Risk Factors, Prevention, and Management.” Dr Richard Anthony Meena and associates explore “Venous Thromboembolism Is Associated with Increased Mortality among COVID-19–Positive Patients.” Young Kim, MD, MS et al describe the “Relationship Between Blood Type and Outcomes Following COVID-19 Infection.” Mary Ottinger, MD and associates write about “Virtual Medical Student Education and Recruitment During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Judith Lin, MD, MBA, and colleagues explore “A Look to the Future: Pandemic-Induced Digital Technologies in Vascular Surgery.” Also, please note the corrigendum to Ali Hallal, MD, et al. “Mass Casualty Management During a Pandemic Surge: The American University of Beirut Medical Center Experience.”

We recognize all of the effort that the authors put into the articles. We hope that you enjoy this issue of Seminars in Vascular Surgery cover to cover.

      Max Wohlauer, MD, Guest Editor

      Caitlin Hicks, MD, MS, Editor-in-Chief

Editor's Addendum: This and the past issue of Seminars in Vascular Surgery were designed to focus on COVID-related issues in vascular surgery. The articles span a range of themes from specific techniques to deal with vascular complications of COVID-19, to practice issues and solutions in the setting of the COVID-19 shutdown, to advances in the way we manage trainee education and patient interactions now and in the post-COVID future. I invited Dr Wohlauer to curate this issue, as he was one of the leading voices in our field when COVID-19 first affected all of us in early 2020. He started an online social media platform that has allowed vascular surgeons around the world to come together to commiserate, support, and lift up each other in the depth of the COVID-19 disaster. He also initiated the Vascular Surgery COVID-19 Collaborative (VASCC) with co-founder Robert Cuff, MD, a multisite collaborative designed to evaluate the effects of the systematic, widespread, and immediate postponement of vascular surgery due to COVID-19 on patient outcomes around the world, and to investigate thrombotic complications associated with COVID-19 infection. VASCC recently enrolled its 1,000 patient in its international database, and serves as one of the largest repositories of vascular surgery–related COVID-19 cases in the world. The June and September issues of Seminars in Vascular Surgery highlight what we have learned to date during this pandemic, through contributions from esteemed authors both in the United States and around the world. Thank you, Dr Wohlauer for your important contribution!