Objectives: The addition of a varicose veins (VV) module to the existing Swedish National Registry for Vascular Surgery (Swedvasc) and its impact on quality of care were evaluated.
Methods: Vascular departments and private VV clinics were invited to enter data from 2016.
Results: Registrations were approximately 10,000 yearly but dropped to 5390 in 2022 when a fee was introduced for private clinics due to reduced funding. 88% more interventions were reported to Swedvasc 2020 than to the National Board of Health and Welfare. Regions differed in interventions per 100,000 inhabitants/year from 21 to 233 and in preoperative CEAP C4-6 from 30.8%-90.4%. Follow-up was 9.4%. These data contributed to the decision to prioritize the patient group for national guidelines and pathways of care, which will be monitored by Swedvasc.
Conclusions: A national VV registry with high coverage is possible and can contribute to national quality of care. The main challenge is funding.