The last few months have been busy for VERN with some studies coming to a close and others starting or in the development phase.
We are very pleased to share with readers that a manuscript reporting the Collaborative Acute Aortic Syndrome Project (CAASP) study has been accepted for publication in the British Journal of Surgery, and a manuscript reporting the Vascular Interventions and Surgery in Trauma Audit (VISTA) is near being ready for submission for peer-review. We are proud to have collaborated with other research networks for both of these studies – the UK National IR Trainee Research Collaborative and the National Trauma Research and Innovation Collaborative. The Surgical Site Infection in Major Lower Limb Amputation (SIMBA) project is in the latter stages of data collation and analysis. Thank you to all collaborators who contributed to centre setup and data collection - we hope to update you soon.
Blood loss, anaemia and haemostasis in vascular surgery (BLAST) was launched recently and there has been an excellent response, numerous centres have launched and data collection is well under way. The centre recruitment period remains open until the end of December 2024 so please do visit the website and register your interest in participating (https://vascular-research.net/blast/). Last month, we closed the survey for the Arm Ischaemia Study (ARMIES) and are very grateful to all respondents for their time in completing the survey. This was undertaken in preparation for an observational study of acute upper limb ischaemia, details for which will be shared on our social media platforms in the near future.
Last year’s Dragons Den winner, Joseph Cutteridge, is busy working on his project exploring a simplified surgical site infection severity grade, the committee are collaborating with him on study design. We are also excited for this year’s Dragons Den session which will be held during the Vascular Societies’ Annual Scientific Meeting! If you have a project proposal to collaborate with us and want a chance to win funds to support the research, submit your 300 word abstract no later than the 9th of September 2024 to [email protected].
We are eagerly looking forward to meeting colleagues and friends again in November.
Brenig Gwilym