SVS Launches Highway to Health Public Awareness Campaign

October 23, 2024—The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) announced the launch of its Highway to Health campaign aims to educate and raise awareness about the symptoms and risk factors associated with vascular disease.

The launch coincides with the release of results from an SVS national consumer survey that indicated a lack of awareness of vascular disease in the United States.

According to SVS, Highway to Health is a 3-year patient education campaign to empower Americans to learn their SVS Strong Vessel Score and start a conversation with their doctor to see if a vascular surgeon could be a good addition to their overall care team.

Developed by SVS, the campaign aims to educate and raise awareness about the symptoms and risk factors associated with vascular disease because most people underestimate their risk. This makes them vulnerable to serious health consequences including heart attack, stroke, amputation, and death. SVS is urging people to get checked out when in doubt and ask their doctor if seeing a vascular surgeon is right for them, stated the press release.

Also, SVS introduced the Highway to Health patient education toolkit that includes videos, checklists, and interactive elements. The toolkit can be found at YourVascularHealth.org.

As stated in the press release, SVS fielded the survey among a general population that included 1,000 responses from a nationally representative sample (age, > 18 years) to gather insight into the awareness and perception of vascular disease and vascular health. The confidence level for the survey is 95% with a margin of error of ± 3.1.

SVS summarized highlights from the survey as follows:

• 29% of respondents have not heard of any of the most common vascular diseases, like peripheral artery disease, carotid artery disease, or abdominal aortic aneurysm
• 36% of current tobacco users and 56% of former tobacco users have never had their provider talk to them about their vascular disease risk
• 85% are not familiar with the role of vascular surgeons
• 46% of people would opt to see a vascular surgeon for symptoms related to their blood vessels, such as leg swelling or pain or difficulty walking

Additionally, more than seven in 10 doctors have not talked to their patients over age 50 about their risk for vascular disease or their Strong Vessel Score. The SVS Strong Vessel Score offers patients a way to share information with their doctor about risk factors and family history to help benchmark and start a conversation about their vascular health, noted the society’s press release.

SVS advised that this lack of awareness is putting people at risk of mis- or underdiagnosis. By 2030 more than 100 million people in the United States will be reaching an age associated with a high risk of vascular diseases, meaning more people than ever before may require care from a specialist yet a critical gap exists.

SVS President Matthew Eagleton, MD, and SVS Secretary William Shutze, MD, commented on the latest initiatives in the press release.

“Surgery is only part of the story for vascular surgeons—a significant amount of the care we provide is dedicated to prevention, screening, and ongoing medication management of vascular diseases,” stated Dr. Eagleton. “We encourage the millions of people in the United States who are at the highest risk for vascular disease to talk with their doctor and ask if seeing a vascular surgeon is right for them.”

Dr. Shutze added, “My guiding mission as a vascular surgeon is to improve the quality of life for my patients with the highest quality, expert care. You see vascular surgeons in lots of different settings from the ER trauma center to helping patients prevent vascular disease at every age. We are on the front lines of treating patients with a wide array of vascular conditions, from prevention and screening to medical management and surgery—we are here to care of patients across the continuum.”