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Giorgio M. Biasi, MD On Mission and Objectives

ISVS: The International Society for Vascular Surgery (ISVS) Mission is to promote Vascular Surgery as a distinct medical specialty worldwide through the dissemination of administrative, scientific, clinical knowledge and the creation of strategic alliances. To educate other healthcare professionals, government agencies and the general public concerning the unique services and valuable benefits provided by Vascular Surgery practitioners who are well trained and committed to the specialty in all its nuances. To identify and provide recognition to individuals who meet certain guidelines, which qualify them as, committed and accomplished vascular surgeons.

Reason for Society: The ISVS was formed in 2003 because of the need to have an international organization committed to the recognition & promotion of Vascular Surgery as a defined specialty separate & distinct from General & Cardiothoracic Surgery.

This political need exists to varying degrees in different parts of the world & arises from the continuing trend for vascular procedures to be performed by practitioners who commit small parts of their practice to non-cardiac vascular disease patients & by disputes about what constitutes adequate criteria for training & credentialing in Vascular Surgery.

Vascular Surgery has evolved enormously since its birth in the early 1950s. Over the last 50 years, huge strides have been made in operative procedures and a large number of patients who could not previously have treatment have been successfully managed. In recent years advances in medical treatment and a change to minimally invasive surgery has resulted in a decrease in open operations. This new treatment has been named endovascular therapy, and other disciplines such as cardiologists and interventional radiologists are now treating patients who previously had their operations done by vascular surgeons. Many of these treatments are often performed without evidence of their benefit and those using them tend to convey the impression that Vascular Surgery is an old fashioned treatment and that operations are no longer required.

The ISVS was formed to combat this trend and has been charged to explain to the global community that vascular surgeons are in fact the most appropriate specialists to treat patients with vascular disease. Only the vascular surgeon can offer a comprehensive range of therapies which include open surgery, endovascular therapy and medical treatment. In addition, when other specialists get into trouble it is the vascular surgeon who rescues them. Doctors who only offer endovascular treatment will undoubtedly push their treatment without offering evidence that it is better or worse than existing therapies. Vascular surgeons can offer patients all forms of treatment and therefore select the one that is best for the patient rather than the one that is best for the doctor. This will of course mean adequate training in all of these areas.

We can only achieve this aim by becoming a specialty worldwide. This will allow us to arrange our own training and establish standards that will ensure that all vascular surgeons are able to provide the comprehensive range of treatment mentioned above. This will mean adequate training in open surgery, endovascular Surgery and medical therapy and will lead to a number of curricular changes to allow us to do this. Vascular surgeons have to be in a position to provide a full range of treatment and only then can we publicize the fact that we are the doctors who can best deal with vascular disease. The ISVS was formed to try to accomplish these objectives.

I am asking you to join today. Membership in numbers will help give this collegial society an opportunity to move Vascular Surgery forward. Our objective is your objective. Your feedback is important. Please reply to ISVS@ISVS.com.

Giorgio M. Biasi, MD, President

By laws of the International Society

for Vascular Surgery

(Adopted April 4, 2004)

Bylaws are provided in PDF format. Adobe Acrobat is needed to view the file.

Download Adobe Acrobat (free).

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