Position paper of the German Society for Vascular Surgery and Vascular Medicine (DGG) Society for operative, endovascular and preventive vascular medicine on qualification for performance of endovascular interventions

The prevalence of arterial and venous vascular diseases will further increase in the future due to demographic changes. Simultaneously the diagnostics and treatment of vascular diseases have made considerable progress particularly in endovascular therapeutic procedures. These improvements have led to a substantial reduction in the duration of stay in hospital and less invasive treatment especially in the treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) and aortic aneurysms. Because of the rapid technological progress, endovascular medicine requires the willingness to learn new techniques and to become acquainted with new products. In the majority of cases treatment of vascular main diagnoses is carried out in Germany in vascular surgical or surgical departments. Vascular surgery therefore has the main responsibility for the care of vascular disease patients. According to the guidelines of the Joint Federal Committee (GBA) in the future abdominal aortic aneurysms can only be treated in hospitals which can demonstrate a structural competence in vascular surgery. From the perspective of the German Society for Vascular Surgery and Vascular Medicine (DGG) - Society for operative, endovascular and preventive vascular medicine - the qualified performance of endovascular interventions requires the acquisition of profound endovascular techniques and fundamental knowledge of all fields of conservative, operative and diagnostic vascular medicine. An isolated qualification as interventional specialist with no clinical competence and clinical responsibility is not acceptable to the DGG for qualitative reasons. The DGG has developed a staged further training concept including a course system, which enables the qualification to endovascular surgeon(DGG) and endovascular specialist(DGG).