All Diseases of Vascular origin: International Collaboration for Evidence (ADVICE)

A group of international researchers and clinicians with expertise in evidence synthesis across a range of vascular disorders, including heart disease, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, vascular dementia and hypertension.

Summary

Our international group of researchers and clinicians came together in April 2023.  We had all previously been members of smaller groups (called Cochrane review groups) which produced systematic reviews on specific vascular disease including heart disease, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and high blood pressure.  Systematic reviews seek to collate all available relevant knowledge on a particular topic and are generally considered to be the ‘highest’ level of evidence to influence health policy and practice.  In March 2023 the UK-based Cochrane groups were reconfigured because of changes in research funding arrangements. 

In order retain the expertise and knowledge of members of the review groups, we have now come together as the ‘ADVICE’ collaboration.  ADVICE key aims are to share expertise, develop collaborations amongst our members, and support the production of high quality systematic reviews in vascular disease.  This includes so-called ‘polyvascular’ disease - where patients commonly have more than one vascular disease (e.g. both heart disease and a stroke).  We also want to ensure that reviews are also relevant to people with frailty who also have other diseases (multimorbidity) and who are taking multiple different drugs (polypharmacy).

Many of our members are also members of the new Cochrane Thematic Group in Heart, Stroke and Circulation. The Cochrane Thematic Groups will be overseen by Cochrane and the reviews will mainly be about treatments.  ADVICE has broader aims because we are interested in all types of systematic reviews-not just those focused on treatments.

Cochrane Thematic Groups | Cochrane

ADVICE is currently led by Professor Gillian Mead and Professor Alex Todhunter-Brown, formerly co-lead editors of Cochrane Stroke.  Our founding group members are listed below, but we hope to rapidly expand our membership over the coming months. If you are interested in joining, please contact us using the contact details below.  Over the past few months we have been meeting regularly to discuss the direction of the wider ADVICE group and to write grant applications to support our work.  As we develop and expand, we would expect to be able to invite more collaborators to these meetings and develop an active and international membership to take forwards evidence synthesis across a wide range of vascular disease topics.

Key people (July 2023)

Contact

maureen.harding@ed.ac.uk

Key publications

Kakkos S, Kirkilesis G, Caprini JA, Geroulakos G, Nicolaides A, Stansby G, Reddy DJ. Combined intermittent pneumatic leg compression and pharmacological prophylaxis for prevention of venous thromboembolism. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Jan 28;1(1):CD005258. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005258.pub4

Broderick C, Watson L, Armon MP. Thrombolytic strategies versus standard anticoagulation for acute deep vein thrombosis of the lower limb. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2021;1:CD002783. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002783.pub5

Robertson L, Broderick C, Yeoh SE, et al. Effect of testing for cancer on cancer- or venous thromboembolism (VTE)-related mortality and morbidity in people with unprovoked VTE. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2021;10:CD010837. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010837.pub5

Saunders DH, Sanderson M, Hayes S, Johnson L, Kramer S, Carter DD, Jarvis H, Brazzelli M, Mead GE. Physical fitness training for stroke patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD003316. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003316.pub7

Pollock A, Farmer SE, Brady MC, Langhorne P, Mead GE, Mehrholz J, van Wijck F. Interventions for improving upper limb function after stroke. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD010820. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010820.pub2

Anderson L, Taylor RS. Cardiac rehabilitation for people with heart disease: an overview of Cochrane systematic reviews. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Dec 12;2014(12):CD011273. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011273.pub2

Dibben G, Faulkner J, Oldridge N, Rees K, Thompson DR, Zwisler A-D, Taylor RS. Exercise‐based cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD001800. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001800.pub4

Reinhart M, Puil L, Salzwedel DM, Wright JM. First‐line diuretics versus other classes of antihypertensive drugs for hypertension. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2023, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD008161. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008161.pub3

Arguedas JA, Leiva V, Wright JM. Blood pressure targets in adults with hypertension. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD004349. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004349.pub3

Saiz LC, Gorricho J, Garjón J, Celaya MC, Erviti J, Leache L. Blood pressure targets for the treatment of people with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2022, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD010315. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010315.pub5

Partners and Funders

Funding applications in progress

Timeline

1 April 2023 - End date to be confirmed