Vascular Disease
P re f a c e Va s c u l a r D i s e a s e
Leonardo C. Clavijo, MD, PhD Editor
cost effectiveness and the safety and efficacy of new treatments. This issue of Cardiology Clinics focuses on the general aspects of vascular medicine: peripheral arterial disease (medical treatment, critical limb ischemia, and applied drug-eluting technologies), cerebrovascular disease (carotid disease and stroke interventions), venous thromboembolic disease, resistant hypertension, and renal artery stenosis. We asked experts from various specialties to provide balanced stateof-the-art reviews of common vascular medical problems encountered by the cardiovascular practitioner. It is my hope that this issue of Cardiology Clinics will help the reader effectively manage patients with vascular disease and ultimately provide a foundation for continued learning. Leonardo C. Clavijo, MD, PhD Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program Vascular Medicine and Peripheral Interventions Division of Cardiovascular Medicine University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
Cardiol Clin 33 (2015) ix http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ccl.2014.10.001 0733-8651/15/$ – see front matter Ó 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
E-mail address: [email protected]
cardiology.theclinics.com
Vascular medicine–related diseases are the most common cause of death and disability in the United States; they affect more than 30 million people and account for more than $100 billion of health care expenditure every year. Vascular medicine is a relatively new specialty and encompasses multiple disciplines, including vascular surgery, interventional radiology, cardiology, rheumatology, hematology, and neurology. As cardiologists, we are looked upon as experts in cardiovascular disease and are often the first health care contact for patients with vascular disease. This means that we are therefore required to codify an initial diagnostic evaluation and to then formulate a treatment plan. The practice of medicine is experiencing profound change as we are currently at a juncture among informatics, increased computational power that allows for high-resolution imaging and processing, bioscience, and genetics, all the while being challenged by increasing health care costs and regulatory restrictions. Vascular medicine is at the forefront of these changes, having benefited from advancements in vascular biology, pharmacology, imaging, and endovascular technology. The vascular practitioner’s challenge is to administer excellent care while keeping in mind
P re f a c e Va s c u l a r D i s e a s e
Leonardo C. Clavijo, MD, PhD Editor
cost effectiveness and the safety and efficacy of new treatments. This issue of Cardiology Clinics focuses on the general aspects of vascular medicine: peripheral arterial disease (medical treatment, critical limb ischemia, and applied drug-eluting technologies), cerebrovascular disease (carotid disease and stroke interventions), venous thromboembolic disease, resistant hypertension, and renal artery stenosis. We asked experts from various specialties to provide balanced stateof-the-art reviews of common vascular medical problems encountered by the cardiovascular practitioner. It is my hope that this issue of Cardiology Clinics will help the reader effectively manage patients with vascular disease and ultimately provide a foundation for continued learning. Leonardo C. Clavijo, MD, PhD Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program Vascular Medicine and Peripheral Interventions Division of Cardiovascular Medicine University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
Cardiol Clin 33 (2015) ix http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ccl.2014.10.001 0733-8651/15/$ – see front matter Ó 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
E-mail address: [email protected]
cardiology.theclinics.com
Vascular medicine–related diseases are the most common cause of death and disability in the United States; they affect more than 30 million people and account for more than $100 billion of health care expenditure every year. Vascular medicine is a relatively new specialty and encompasses multiple disciplines, including vascular surgery, interventional radiology, cardiology, rheumatology, hematology, and neurology. As cardiologists, we are looked upon as experts in cardiovascular disease and are often the first health care contact for patients with vascular disease. This means that we are therefore required to codify an initial diagnostic evaluation and to then formulate a treatment plan. The practice of medicine is experiencing profound change as we are currently at a juncture among informatics, increased computational power that allows for high-resolution imaging and processing, bioscience, and genetics, all the while being challenged by increasing health care costs and regulatory restrictions. Vascular medicine is at the forefront of these changes, having benefited from advancements in vascular biology, pharmacology, imaging, and endovascular technology. The vascular practitioner’s challenge is to administer excellent care while keeping in mind
