Vascular Registries in Europe: Why Are These of Interest for the Clinical Vascular Surgeon in the United States?

Abstract

Following the early American experience, national vascular reg istries were initiated in Scandinavia in the late 1980s. Several other European countries have since organized nationwide registries where national vascular societies consecutively record details of the vascular procedures they perform and their outcomes. A parallel initiative has been the collection of the Eurovasc Index Procedure data, where the national numbers of certain stan dard vascular procedures, comprising around 75% of vascular surgery, can be compared. Typically a vascular registry is population based and records patients' risk factors, operative details of the procedures and clinical follow- up data until one year postoperatively. Examples from Scandinavian vascular registries illustrate epidemiological mapping of vascular procedures, their function as a professional network, and the possibilities they offer to improve clinical practice.