2024 TSOC/TSPS Joint Consensus: Strategies for Advanced Vascular Wound Management in Arterial and Venous Diseases.

The Taiwan Society of Cardiology (TSOC) and Taiwan Society of Plastic Surgery (TSPS) have collaborated to develop a joint consensus for the management of patients with advanced vascular wounds. The taskforce comprises experts including preventive cardiologists, interventionists, and cardiovascular and plastic surgeons. The consensus focuses on addressing the challenges in diagnosing, treating, and managing complex wounds; incorporates the perfusion evaluation and the advanced vascular wound care team; and highlights the importance of cross-disciplinary teamwork. The aim of this joint consensus is to manage patients with advanced vascular wounds and encourage the adoption of these guidelines by healthcare professionals to improve patient care and outcomes. The guidelines encompass a range of topics, including the definition of advanced vascular wounds, increased awareness, team structure, epidemiology, clinical presentation, medical treatment, endovascular intervention, vascular surgery, infection control, advanced wound management, and evaluation of treatment results. It also outlines a detailed protocol for assessing patients with lower leg wounds, provides guidance on consultation and referral processes, and offers recommendations for various wound care devices, dressings, and products. The 2024 TSOC/TSPS consensus for the management of patients with advanced vascular wounds serves as a catalyst for international collaboration, promoting knowledge exchange and facilitating advancements in the field of advanced vascular wound management. By providing a comprehensive and evidence-based approach, this consensus aims to contribute to improved patient care and outcomes globally.

Midterm outcomes (2 years) using the Venovo™ and Sinus Obliquus™ venous stents in the treatment of non-thrombotic and post-thrombotic iliac vein lesions - Results from a multi-centre Asian cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Medium-term outcome data are lacking for dedicated venous stents especially from the Asian population. OBJECTIVES: Aim was to determine the 2-year patency and symptomatic relief gained from using the BD Venovo™ and Optimed Sinus Obliquus™venous stents for ilio-femoral obstruction (IFO). METHODS: 60 patients (71 limbs; 39 females; mean age of 66.4 ± 11.9 years) were included in this prospective dual centre Asian cohort. Clinical improvement was determined by change in the CEAP, rVCSS and pain scores. Stent patency and stenosis were measured using area reduction on CTV and diameter reduction on Duplex ultrasound. RESULTS: At 2 years, 65.7% showed ≥1 CEAP score improvement from baseline and rVCSS and pain scores remained low and sustained. 87.1% venous leg ulcers remained healed. Freedom from target lesion revascularisation was 94.3% and overall stent patency was 87.1%. There were no stent fractures or migration reported. CONCLUSION: Dedicated venous stents for IFO were associated with sustained clinical improvement and a high freedom from reintervention at 2 years in Asian patients.

Using a Web-Based Platform as an Alternative for Conducting International, Multidisciplinary Medical Conferences During the Novel COVID-19 Pandemic: Analysis of a Conference.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has stunted medical education activities, resulting in most conferences being cancelled or postponed. To continue professional education during this crisis, web-based conferences can be conducted via livestream and an audience interaction platform as an alternative. OBJECTIVE: The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has affected human connections worldwide. Conventional conferences have been replaced by web-based conferences. However, web-based conferencing has its challenges and limitations. This paper reports the logistics and preparations required for converting an international, on-site, multidisciplinary conference into a completely web-based conference within 3 weeks during the pandemic. METHODS: The program was revised, and a teleconference system, live recording system, director system setup, and broadcasting platform were arranged to conduct the web-based conference. RESULTS: We used YouTube (Alphabet Inc) and WeChat (Tencent Holdings Limited) for the web-based conference. Of the 24 hours of the conventional conference, 21.5 hours (90%) were retained in the web-based conference via live broadcasting. The conference was attended by 71% (37/52) of the original international faculties and 71% (27/38) of the overall faculties. In total, 61 out of 66 presentations (92%) were delivered. A special session-"Dialysis access management under the impact of viral epidemics"-was added to replace precongress workshops and competitions. The conference received 1810, 1452, and 1008 visits on YouTube and 6777, 4623, and 3100 visits on WeChat on conference days 1, 2, and 3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Switching from a conventional on-site conference to a completely web-based format within a short period is a feasible method for maintaining professional education in a socially responsible manner during a pandemic.