Outcomes and safety of electronic consult use in vascular surgery

Telemedicine and Digital Health Applications in Vascular Surgery

“…In this context, several studies reported the use of teleconsultation in vascular surgery. Castaneda et al performed a retrospective review on 350 teleconsultations completed by a single-center vascular surgery department [ 33 ]. They organized an established written service agreement between the vascular surgery service and primary care providers that established the indications and work-up for referral to vascular surgery [ 33 ].…”

“…Castaneda et al performed a retrospective review on 350 teleconsultations completed by a single-center vascular surgery department [ 33 ]. They organized an established written service agreement between the vascular surgery service and primary care providers that established the indications and work-up for referral to vascular surgery [ 33 ]. Following the referral, the vascular specialist determined whether the patient required an in-person visit or could be evaluated through teleconsultation.…”

“…The authors evaluated the outcomes of patients, as well as their compliance, with recommendations following the teleconsultation. In a cohort composed of 123 (35%) patients admitted for LEAD, 93 (27%) for carotid stenosis and 57 (16%) for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), only 5.4% of the initial teleconsultations required conversion to an in-person visit [ 33 ]. Compliance of the patients with recommendations provided by physicians varied from 30% to 61% for medication recommendation, 57% for imaging recommendation and 5.1% for exercise recommendation [ 33 ].…”

“…In a cohort composed of 123 (35%) patients admitted for LEAD, 93 (27%) for carotid stenosis and 57 (16%) for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), only 5.4% of the initial teleconsultations required conversion to an in-person visit [ 33 ]. Compliance of the patients with recommendations provided by physicians varied from 30% to 61% for medication recommendation, 57% for imaging recommendation and 5.1% for exercise recommendation [ 33 ]. Five-year all-cause mortality, as well as adverse events following teleconsultation, were comparable with reported complications in the literature.…”

“…In addition, it could facilitate access to specialized care in regions with a low density of healthcare structures and providers. Finally, such technological support could help to develop a way to identify and treat patients with low-complexity and low-acuity vascular diseases, contributing to the reduction of clinic congestion and burden on health institutions, potentially resulting in increased efficiency and reduced time to treatment of acute conditions [ 33 ].…”