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Vascular Study Group of New England (VSG NE)
Maine Medical Center is a founding member of the Vascular Study Group of New England. The Vascular Study Group of New England (VSG NE) is a voluntary group of doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, and researchers organized to improve the care of patients with vascular disease. A similar study about heart surgery in New England showed that comparing results and sharing information among doctors can improve patient care and save lives.
How will the Vascular Study Group improve patient care?
Patients treated for vascular disease have varying results. This is due partly because patients are different from one another and have different health issues which factor into the severity of their disease. Different results may also be due in part to different treatment choices.
Combining the experiences of many different doctors makes it faster to learn about new techniques. It also helps the team understand which procedures are best for different types of vascular disease. Collecting and sharing information about thousands of patients undergoing the same procedures helps doctors improve care, increase safety, and lower costs. By studying the details of patient care, we can standardize our approach and select the best methods for our patients to ensure the very best outcomes.
Currently, we are studying eight vascular operations:
1. Open abdominal aortic aneurysm operations
2. Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
3. Carotid artery endarterectomy
4. Leg bypass surgery
5. Carotid artery stent
6. Vascular access
7. Lower extremity amputation
8. Peripheral Vascular Intervention
Twice a year standard reports are generated describing regional and center experiences. The reports show by procedure, trends over time, volume of procedures, process characteristics, and selected in-hospital outcomes.
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