Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on an academic vascular practice and a multi-disciplinary limb preservation program

Lancaster, Elizabeth M.; Wu, Bian; Iannuzzi, James; Oskowitz, Adam; Gasper, Warren; Vartanian, Shant; Wick, Elizabeth; Hiramoto, Jade; Eichler, Charles; Lobo, Errol; Reyzelman, Alexander; Reilly, Linda; Sosa, Julie A.; Conte, Michael S.

With the aggressive resource conservation necessary to face the COVID-19 pandemic, vascular surgeons face unique challenges to managing the health of their high-risk patients. Early analysis of patient outcomes following pandemic-related practice changes suggest that patients with chronic limb threatening ischemia (CLTI) have been presenting with more severe foot infections and are more likely to require major limb amputation compared to 6 months prior. As our society and health care system adapt to the new changes required in the post-COVID era, it is critical that we pay special attention to the most vulnerable subsets of patients with vascular disease, particularly those with CLTI and limited access to care.