Managing claudication in the community setting

Advances made in medical management and treatment options in addressing lower extremity claudication and vascular disease have skyrocketed during the last decade. Given the recent advances in treatment options, there is often the perception within the medical community and general community that to get the most “cutting edge” treatment, one must go to an academic center or practitioner. The goal of this portion of the discussion is to explore the question of what differences in treatment options there are between a community practice and an academic practice within those members of the vascular surgery specialty. Are there really any differences in the types of treatments offered or availability of the different modalities, and what drives us as practitioners to one over the other?