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NICE Guidelines

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides national evidence-based guidance and advice to improve health and social care.

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The NICE Guidance on how best to manage varicose veins states 3 key recommendations:

  1. All patients with Varicose Veins and Symptoms should be referred to a Vascular Service.
  2. Assessment should include full Colour Duplex Ultrasound scanning
  3. Treatment should be by Endovenous Thermal Ablation and if this not possible or required Foam Sclerotherapy. Surgery should only be undertaken if both these fail.

In expert experienced hands surgery is in fact never required!

 

We have been assessing and treating patients in this way since 2003 yet this guidance was only published in 2013 – 10 years later. We were the first company in the UK established specifically to provide Endovenous Laser Ablation.

NICE defines a vascular service as “a team of healthcare professionals who have the skills to undertake a full clinical and duplex ultrasound assessment and provide a full range of treatment.” This is precisely what we have at Veincentre. We, as of April 2020, have a total of 26 vascular consultants with a specific vein interest and 12 specialist nurses supported by an experienced team of managers, healthcare assistants and patient advisers. See the full Veincentre Team. We are careful to appoint a good mix of Consultant Interventional Radiologists and Vascular Surgeons who complement each other’s skills.

Shockingly, some vascular surgeons in other private clinics and NHS trusts are still ignoring this guidance and offering traditional surgery as a first line treatment instead of training in these minimally invasive techniques. If you have been told your veins are too “twisty” for EVLA treatment, please challenge this. 

 

Further NICE Guidelines Questions

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