In a close vote, most delegates attending the first debate of CX 34 agreed with Sigrid Nikol, Hamburg, Germany, that endovascular techniques must be taught with interdisciplinary collaboration, with 55% supporting the motion vs. 45% who voted against the motion (and thus agreed with Frank Vermassen, Ghent, Belgium).
Nikol argued that the “excellent” results of endovascular therapy in clinical trials indicate that: “cardiologists, surgeons, radiologists, and other interventionists possessing peripheral vascular interventional skills can perform endovascular therapy safely despite different starting points.” On the other hand, Vermassen argued that training in endovascular techniques can and should be performed in vascular surgery training centres, saying: “Interdisciplinary collaboration is not a prerequisite for training in endovascular techniques.”
