Vascular Surgery COVID-19 Collaborative (VASCC)
Our goal is to engage vascular surgeons from all practice types, sizes and geographic locations to provide a broad cross section of patients and results that are widely applicable.
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the medical landscape. In order to preserve hospital beds, personal protective equipment, and other resources to be able to accommodate the surge of COVID-19 positive patients, vascular surgeons in Colorado and around the world have cancelled elective and semi-elective vascular cases in accordance with executive orders, as well as national guidelines from the American College of Surgeons, Society for Vascular Surgery, and various international societies’ guidelines. Not in our lifetime have we seen such a rapid and widespread cancellation of scheduled vascular surgical operations. We aim to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the care of patients with vascular disease.
The Vascular Surgery COVID-19 Collaborative (VASCC) was founded by Max Wohlauer, MD, at the University of Colorado and Robert Cuff, MD, at Michigan State University in March of 2020.
The key feature of VASCC is a robust, international REDCap registry of de-identified patient information housed at the University of Colorado. Our goal is to engage vascular surgeons from all practice types, sizes and geographic locations to provide a broad cross section of patients and results that are widely applicable.
Impact
The primary aim of the Vascular Surgery COVID-19 Collaborative (VASCC) is to evaluate the effect of the systematic, widespread, and immediate postponement of vascular surgery on patient outcomes around the world. We are evaluating the vascular manifestations of patients infected with COVID-19 as well, in addition to several other projects. Our research could impact lives of countless patients caught up in the current pandemic, and knowing the effect on the health system will improve subsequent responses. Your participation could have a lasting impact locally and on the international community for generations.
How to Join
See our Projects page to get involved in one of our specific projects.