February 2007

News of the Vascular Profession

Noted Vascular Surgeon Robert W. Hobson, MD, passes in January

Noted vascular surgeon Robert W. Hobson, MD, passed away on January 2, 2008. Dr. Hobson received his MD from the George Washington University and its School of Medicine. He served with the U.S. Army 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam. He retired from the U.S. Army Medical Reserve in September, 1995 as a Colonel.

Dr. Hobson was the founding and supervising Director of the Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry (UMDNJ), New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), and managed clinical activities for the institution’s Vascular Disease Center. He was a Professor at various universities including George Washington University in Washington DC, UMDNJ in Newark, NJ, and Seton Hall University in NJ, Boston University in MA, and Mt Sinai School of Medicine in NY. He had recently accepted the position of Director of the Vascular Institute at Gagnon Heart Hospital at Morristown Memorial Hospital in NJ. He is also a consultant in Vascular Surgery at Hackensack Medical Center, Trinitas Hospital, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center.

He was a member of numerous medical societies in various official positions too numerous to mention here. He was Founding Chair of the American Vascular Association, which he was currently Chair, ACS Advisory Committee for Vascular Surgery, and the American Board of Vascular Surgery. His major research interests include cerebrovascular physiology and influence of carotid occlusive disease in the development and prevention of stroke; clinical management of atherosclerotic vascular disease; and the physiology of the microcirculation including skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion. He authored or co-authored 375 manuscripts and abstracts, as well as over 100 book chapters. Dr. Hobson is a past Editorial Board member of the Journal of Surgical Research, Journal of Vascular Surgery, and Stroke, and currently served on the editorial board of five other vascular disease journals.

Dr. Hobson was Principal Investigator (PI) of the first multicenter clinical trial on carotid endarterectomy performed in this country, the Veterans Administration Cooperative Study on efficacy of endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid stenosis, the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerotic Study trial and is PI for the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stent Trial (CREST). CREST is designed to compare the efficacy of carotid endarterectomy vs. stenting in 120 centers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

According to Jeanette Flannery, Chair of the SVU Chapters Subcommittee, Dr. Hobson will be sorely missed by his patients and the vascular community both nationally and internationally. His contributions to the fields of vascular surgery and vascular technology will continue to influence our future physicians and technologists.

SVS Offers New On-line Vascular Health Activity Book that Teaches Children How to Care for Their Vascular System

The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has announced the availability of an on-line vascular health activity book that teaches children, aged 5 – 12 years, how their vascular system works. This activity book is now available on the SVS VascularWeb.org website at http://www.vascularweb.org//patients/PDF_Docs/composite_activity_book.pdf, in the Patients and Families section. It uses “blood buddies” to teach children how the vascular system delivers oxygen and nutrients throughout their bodies and why they need to eat well and maintain an active lifestyle to keep it healthy. It stresses the importance of exercise, healthy eating, and not smoking through games and coloring pages.

“According to the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, the percentage of children and teens that are overweight has more than doubled in the past 30 years, says SVS. “This startling statistic has crucial consequences for the future for these children,” said SVS President K. Wayne Johnston, M.D. “If they grow into obese adults, they face a greater chance of having vascular diseases such as stroke and peripheral arterial disease. Vascular surgeons want to do what we can to help parents and schools teach youngsters about the health risks of obesity and smoking. If they understand how their bodies work they may be more likely to take good care of themselves.”

Some of the adult vascular health complications include blocked carotid arteries to the brain that can cause paralyzing strokes, the third leading cause of death in the U.S. More than 15,000 people die annually from ruptured aortic aneurysms, and one in every 20 Americans over the age of 50 has peripheral arterial disease. High cholesterol levels, lack of exercise, and smoking are key factors in a person’s likelihood of developing these diseases.

This SVS activity book uses entertaining learning tools including a maze, word search, penny game, secret code, and other activities to explain how a vascular system works, why it is important to good health, and how to maintain healthy habits.