Vascular surgery is performed to treat conditions and diseases affecting the body’s arteries and veins. Surgery types fall into 2 primary categories:

• Arterial Surgery: This surgery is performed to treat aneurysms in the body’s arteries. An aneurysm is an abnormal widening or ballooning of a portion of an artery, related to weakness in the wall of the blood vessel. Some common locations for aneurysms include the aorta (the major artery from the heart); the brain (cerebral aneurysm); leg (popliteal artery aneurysm); intestine (mesenteric artery aneurysm) and splenic artery. Aneurysms that go untreated can rupture.


• Venous Surgery: Venous surgery is performed on the body’s extremities to treat diseases of the veins. Conditions that often require venous surgery include varicose veins, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), deep venous thrombosis (DVT), and chronic venous insufficiency.

How is Process of Care Measured?

University Hospitals participates in the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC): a nationwide alliance of academic medical centers and their affiliated hospitals. This group represents approximately 90% of the nation’s non-profit academic medical centers.

The UHC maintains a comparative database of healthcare measures which have been established to indicate the overall quality of commonly-performed medical procedures. Criteria for measuring vascular surgery outcomes include:

Mortality Rate

• Why is this important to you as a patient?
  Mortality rate is an indicator of good patient care process.
  A lower number is better.


• How do we compare outcomes?
  UHCMC participates in the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) comparative database along with more than 100 other academic centers across the country. The national comparison shown below compares our outcomes to those of other nationally-recognized academic medical centers.


• Results:
  UHCMC’s vascular surgery mortality rate is better than the national average.

Patient experience is measured by the following criteria:

• Length of stay
• Readmission to the Hospital

Length of Stay as a Quality Measure

• Why is this important to you as a patient?
  This measure indicates the number of days a patient spends in the hospital.A shorter length of stay usually indicates more efficient and effective care.It means the patient can return home faster to recuperate in a familiar, more comfortable surrounding. A shorter stay in the hospital is also generally less disruptive for the patient and his / her family.


• How do we compare outcomes?
  UHCMC participates in the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) comparative database along with more than 100 other academic centers across the country. The national comparison shown below compares our outcomes to those of other nationally-recognized academic medical centers.


• Results:
  UHCMC’s average length of stay for vascular surgery is better than the national average.

Readmission to the Hospital as a Quality Measure

• Why is this important to you as a patient?
  This measure indicates the number of patients who are discharged from the hospital and then readmitted within 30 days of their discharge. A lower number indicates more efficient and effective care.


• How do we compare outcomes?
  UHCMC participates in the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) comparative database along with more than 100 other academic centers across the country. The national comparison shown below compares our outcomes to those of other nationally-recognized academic medical centers.


• Results:
  UHCMC’s readmission to the hospital for vascular surgery is slightly higher than the national average.