PATIENT SAFETY VQI launches ‘CAN DO’ smoking cessation drive at VAM 2023

The SVS Patient Safety Organization (PSO) has launched a national smoking cessation initiative.

By Beth Bales

THE SVS PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATION (PSO) has launched a national smoking cessation initiative.

SVS PSO Associate Medical Director Gary Lemmon, MD, and SVS PSO Director of Quality Betsy Wymer introduced the program during the PSO’s Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) Annual Meeting, which took place during VAM 2023.

CAN-DO (Choosing Against Combustible Nicotine Despite Obstacles) joins two existing national initiatives on discharge medications and sac diameter reporting, with imaging, in connection with endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for aortic aneuryms.

“Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disability—10 times more than the premature deaths from all wars fought by the U.S.,” said Lemmon.

It’s a major cause of cardiovascular disease and more than 90% of cancer of the lungs and other organs. Moreover,

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