New Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) released by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and developed in collaboration with 10 other leading professional societies provides detailed criteria to help clinicians optimize the appropriate use of peripheral vascular ultrasound and physiological testing when caring for patients with known or suspected venous disease.

Also included are first-time recommendations for when and how to use these tests to plan for or evaluate dialysis access placement.

The new AUC offers comprehensive, at-a-glance guidance on when—and when not—to refer patients for vascular laboratory testing in 116 different clinical scenarios, including venous duplex ultrasound evaluation of the arms, lower extremities, and vena cava for venous thrombosis; duplex evaluation of the legs for venous incompetency (reflux); duplex evaluation of the renal and hepatoportal system; evaluation prior to (in planning) and after dialysis access placement (arteroivenous fistula and grafts); and venous physiological testing.

Read more on CardioSource.org.