The education system to master endovascular aortic repair in Japan - the Japanese Committee for Stentgraft Management

The Japanese Committee for Stentgraft Management (JACSM) was established with the aim of ensuring the safe and proper reach of commercial stent grafts following their regulatory approval. This study examines the validity of the practice standards developed by JACSM.

JACSM comprises 10 associations related to endovascular treatment. Based on the practice standards developed by JACSM, the status of practising institutions, practising surgeons, supervising surgeons and the results of follow-up surveys were analysed.

In the 2.5 years following the establishment of JACSM, 298 institutions have fulfilled the practice standards. The number of practising surgeons reached 493, and the number of supervising surgeons reached 177. There were 3089 registered cases up to June 2009. The present study analysed 1570 cases registered in the 2 years from July 2006 to June 2008. The hospital mortality rate was low (0.4%) in the follow-up surveys.

Early results following the introduction of stent grafts were generally good. The procedure spread safely without the learning curve seen in the initial stages following introduction of new medical materials, indicating that the practice standards were appropriate.