Contribution of the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery to the scientific literature

The Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (SAVS) has played a significant role in the development and evolution of vascular surgery. This study was designed to document the contribution to the scientific literature and to highlight the important publications from the annual meetings of the SAVS on its 25th anniversary. A total of 413 (73%) of the 569 "free papers" presented at the SAVS Annual Meeting were published in journals that are identified in MEDLINE, and most (71%) were published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery. Carotid/cerebrovascular disease, leg ischemia, and basic considerations were the most common subject matters overall, although there has been a recent decrease in the percentage of articles about basic considerations and aortic aneurysms while there has been an increase in those about endovascular therapy, vascular laboratory/imaging, and visceral/renal artery disease. The 413 papers were cited a mean of 18 +/- 20 (+/- SD) times (range 0-143) with 32 papers cited more than 39 times and 17 papers cited more than 59 times. A panel of three reviewers identified 42 significant articles, among which 8 were considered seminal by 2 of the 3 reviewers. The papers presented at the annual meeting of the SAVS have made a significant contribution to the scientific literature in terms of both quantity and quality. These efforts have laid the foundation for the next quarter century and have raised the level of expectation.