Recently published findings from the VA Disrupted Care National Project (DCNP) revealed the number of vascular surgeries performed across the United States continued to decline even after large drops during the COVID-19 pandemic. A multi-institutional team of researchers, led by the White River Junction VA Medical Center, analyzed 21,031 vascular surgeries of three common procedures from 2019 to 2023 using Medicare claim data. There was a dramatic drop of 47% at the beginning of the pandemic, but while rates of care recovered partially another drop of 34% occurred during the Omicron wave of the pandemic in early 2022.
Not only have the number of vascular surgeries never returned to pre-pandemic levels, but researchers found the number of vascular surgery procedures has continued to decrease, particularly for younger and minority patients. By examining which groups have been most affected and who is at most risk of complications if they do not receive care, we can identify where resources should be focused to maximize the health of this population as we emerge from the pandemic." Louise Davies, MD, the White River Junction VA research investigator leading the DCNP The two surgeries that declined the most were carotid endarterectomy, a surgery to remove blockages in the artery that supplies blood to the brain, and intact abdominal aortic aneurism repair, a surgery to fix a bulge in a major blood vessel in the abdomen.
Both surgeries would be considered critical patient care. In.