| Sumario: | Vascular disease is a major cause of death and disability, and requires substantial health care expenditure in the United States. It is primarily a disease of the elderly and thus becoming more important with aging of the population. During the past fifty years, there has been substantial progress in the development of surgical techniques for treating patients with vascular disease. More recently, less invasive techniques using balloons and catheters have become increasingly available. In addition to better treatment options, there is also growing recognition of the importance of preventing vascular disease by focusing on smoking cessation and other patient risk factors for atherosclerosis. Despite general progress in the field, however, little is known about how vascular health care is currently being delivered in the United States. How often are patients undergoing surgery or other procedures in different parts of the country? Which types of specialists are providing vascular health care in different regions? How good are their outcomes? In describing the current status of vascular health care in United States, the Dartmouth Atlas of Vascular Health Care helps focus our attention on the most important questions and controversies in the field. Such information is crucial to efforts by our professional societies to improve the quality of vascular health care. Of course, information about how vascular health care is being delivered in different regions of the United States and about the outcomes of treatment will also benefit vascular patients, payers, and policy makers.
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