VASCUNET is a collaboration of clinical and administrative vascular registries, administered and partly funded by the European Society of Vascular Surgery (ESVS).

VASCUNET was established to improve the quality, safety and effectiveness of vascular healthcare in Europe and Australasia. Several reports and original articles have been published to date.

More than 40 members from 26 different countries work together within this growing research and quality improvement collaboration.

VASCUNET was established in 1997 at the ESVS Annual Meeting in Lisbon (Portugal). The participants of this first meeting (T. Troëng, M. Björck, I. Thomson, et al.) achieved a consensual agreement that there should be a common European minimal dataset for vascular registries and an organising committee was set up to organise a session at the meeting for presentation of national vascular registries.

During the following 23 years (1997-2020), this open-minded collaboration grew rapidly to a global network active in real-world evidence!

Go to VASCUNET website

The structure of VASCUNET

The VASCUNET committee comprises 1-2 representatives from national or regional quality improvement registries. One chair is assigned for a three-year term (currently 2020-2023) supported by a secretary. To coordinate transatlantic projects in the International Consortium of Vascular Registries (ICVR), the VASCUNET committee assigns a co-chair to this amalgamation of the VASCUNET and the United States Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI).

Here are the current members of the VASCUNET committee:

Christian-Alexander Behrendt (Chair VASCUNET), Germany Carlo Setacci, Italy
Jacob Budtz-Lilly (Secretary VASCUNET), Denmark Dirk Grotemeyer, Luxembourg
Kevin Mani (Co-Chair ICVR), Sweden Kevin Cassar, Malta
Barry Beiles, Australia Matthew Grima, Malta
Tina Cohnert, Austria Gert Jan de Borst, Netherlands
Michaela Kluckner, Austria Manar Khashram New Zealand
Paulo E. Ocke Reis, Brazil Jo Krysa, New Zealand
Ivan Cvjetko, Croatia Martin Altreuther, Norway
Milijenko Kovačević, Croatia Arkadiusz Kazimierczak, Poland
Nikolaj Eldrup, Denmark Frederico Bastos Goncalves, Portugal
Riikka Tulamo, Finland Mihai Ionac, Romania
Maarit Venermo, Finland Ana Maria Vrancianu, Romania
Fabien Lareyre, France Alexei Svetlikov, Russia
Nicla Settembre, France Igor Koncar, Serbia
Ulrich Rother, Germany Andrew MTL Choong,  Singapore
Andreas Lazaris, Greece Cristina Lopez Espada, Spain
Konstantinos G. Moulakakis, Greece Birgitta Sigvant, Sweden
Gabor Menyhei, Hungary Thomas Lattman, Switzerland
Zoltan Szeberin, Hungary Jonathan Boyle, United Kingdom
Elin Laxdal, Iceland Arun Pherwani, United Kingdom
Stefano Ancetti, Italy

Join the VASCUNET committe!

Currently, several ongoing projects on carotid artery stenosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, peripheral arterial occlusive disease and amputation practice are coordinated. The committee is looking for new members to improve European and Australasian cross-border vascular research and quality improvement.

Ongoing projects

Currently, there are several ongoing projects and data collections organised by the VASCUNET committee:

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair has undergone significant changes during the last decade. Since the first VASCUNET report, several publications concerning endovascular vs. open repair practice, volume-outcome relationship, threshold for repair and further quality improvement projects have been published.

Principal Investigator: Kevin Mani

Core Variables and Recommendations

The VASCUNET aims to improve comparability and harmonization of real-world evidence. With several international Delphi consensus studies involving multidisciplinary experts, this collaboration provided a core data set for peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) and acute limb ischaemia. Further projects concerning complex endovascular aortic repair are currently ongoing.

Amputation Practice

This international audit showed large geographical differences in major amputation rates, by a factor of almost six, and an overall declining time trend during the 4 year observation of this study. Diabetes prevalence, age distribution, and mortality rates were also found to vary between countries. The Global Amputation Study (GAS) is currently ongoing to include more countries and determine underlying factors for the identified differences.

Carotid Artery Stenosis

Despite evidence about treatment options for carotid artery disease, the proportion of asymptomatic patients, treatment modality, and the proportion of women and octogenarians vary considerably among and within countries. There was a significant association of treating more asymptomatic patients in countries with fee for service reimbursement. The findings reflect the inconsistency of the existing guidelines and a need for cooperation among guideline committees all over the world.

Principal Investigator: Maarit Venermo

Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease (PAOD)

To determine differences in the invasive treatment of symptomatic peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) treatment between countries participating in the VASCUNET and International Consortium of Vascular Registries (ICVR).

Principal Investigator: Christian-Alexander Behrendt

VASCUNET reports

Find the latest VASCUNET publications here.

Go to VASCUNET website