Outcomes and Economic Impact of Hypogastric Artery Management During Elective Endovascular Aortic Repair for Aorto-Iliac Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: To analyze clinical outcomes and perform a macro-costing evaluation of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for aorto-iliac aneurysms. METHODS: This is a retrospective, financially unsupported, physician-initiated observational cohort study. Patients with iliac artery involvement treated with EVAR between January 1st, 2014 and December 31st, 2021 were identified. Inclusion criteria were intact aneurysm, elective EVAR with at least 1 hypogastric artery (HA) treatment, use of bifurcated endograft (EG), and at least 6 months of follow-up. Primary outcomes of interest were overall survival, freedom from aneurysm-related mortality (ARM), freedom from EVAR-related reintervention, and overall EVAR(procedure)-related costs. RESULTS: We studied 122 (9.1%) patients: 119 (97.5%) were male and 3 (2.5%) females. Median age of patients was 76 years (range, 68.75-81). Overall, 107 (87.7%) patients had both HAs preserved according to following strategy: 45 (36.9%) with flared limbs, 13 (10.6%) with bilateral branched device, and 49 (40.2%) with a combination of flared limb on 1 side and branched device on the contralateral side. Bilateral overstenting was performed in 15 (12.3%) patients. Estimated overall survival was not different between groups of EVAR (Log-rank, P = 0.561). There was only 1 (0.8%) ARM ascertained during the follow-up. Estimated freedom from EVAR-related reintervention was not different among groups (Log-rank, P = 0.464). During the follow-up, 9 (7.4%) patients developed buttock claudication (Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) grade 1, n = 4, SVS grade 2, n = 5), more frequently in HA overstenting (hazard ratio (HR): 3.6; 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 0.96-13.5, P = 0.058). When all cots were included, branched EVAR still carried the highest burden (P = 0.001) in comparison with the mixed subgroup, the overstenting subgroup, and the flared limbs subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Early mortality and pelvic ischemic syndromes rate were acceptably low in all techniques. Hypogastric artery preservation showed lower complication rate in comparison with HA overstenting which, however, appears to be safe an effective for option with similar overall costs for patients who are not candidates for HA preservation based on aortic anatomy.

Inferior Mesenteric Artery Revascularization with ChEVAR in High Risk Patient with Bilateral Occlusion of Internal Iliac Arteries, Case Report and Review of Literature.

BACKGROUND: This article describes a chimney technique (ChEVAR) to preserve the patency of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) in a patient with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and bilateral internal iliac artery obstruction. In addition, a review of the literature is performed. CASE REPORT: This article describes a male in his 70s with multiple comorbidities and a 5.6 cm infrarenal aortic aneurysm. CT scan showed bilateral iliac internal artery obstruction with compensatory hypertrophy of lumbar arteries along with a 6 mm inferior mesenteric artery. We planned a staged treatment: embolization of lumbar arteries to prevent type 2 endoleak as a first step, followed two months later by standard EVAR with chimney graft to maintain patency of IMA. The postoperative course was uneventful. The endograft was widely patent on CT scan at his 6-month follow-up visit. CONCLUSIONS: ChEVAR to preserve the patency of IMA is a feasible and valid technique that could be considered in the case of bilateral hypogastric obstruction.

Outcomes of stent-graft repair for anastomotic femoral pseudoaneurysm. A case series.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to report a case series of anastomotic femoral pseudoaneurysms (PSA) treated with stent-grafting (SG) in patients at high-risk for the open surgical approach. METHODS: It is a retrospective, observational cohort study. Between 1 January 2002 and 1 April 2020, post-hoc analysis of the database including patients who received repair for femoral PSA identified those treated with SG. All but one patient were approached through a contralateral percutaneous transfemoral access, and the SG was always deployed from the common femoral artery to the profunda femoris artery. For this study, primary outcomes of interest were early (≤ 30 days) survival and patency rate. RESULTS: We identified 10/823 cases of the entire PSA cohort (1.2%). There were 9 men and 1 woman: the mean age was 76 years ± 9 (range: 64-92). Urgent intervention was performed in 4 patients. The median operative time was 30 min (IQR: 25-36). Access-related complication was never observed. In-hospital mortality occurred in 1 patient due to novel coronavirus-19-related pneumonia. Median follow-up was 24 months (IQR: 12-37); 5 patients died. At the last radiologic follow-up available, all SGs were patent without necessity of reintervention. CONCLUSION: Stent-graft repair for anastomotic femoral PSA may be considered a reasonable alternative for patients at high-risk for open surgical repair.

COVID-19 and acute limb ischemia: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The main goal of this systematic review was to analyze the outcomes of acute limb ischemia (ALI) in patients suffering from the novel Coronavirus: COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic review on Medline and Embase was conducted up to May 15, 2021. All papers were sorted by abstract and full text by two independent authors. Systematic reviews, commentaries, and studies that did not distinguish status of COVID-19 infection were excluded from review. Patient demographics were recorded along with modality of treatment (endovascular and/or surgical). We analyzed 30-day outcomes, including mortality. Primary outcome was to evaluate clinical characteristic of ALI in patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 in term of location of ischemia, treatment options and 30-day outcomes. EVINDENCE SYNTHESIS: We selected 36 articles with a total of 194 patients. Most patients were male (80%) with a median age of 60 years old. The treatment most used was thromboembolectomy (31% of all surgical interventions). A total of 32 patients (19%) were not submitted to revascularization due to critical status. The rate of technical success was low (68%), and mortality rate was high (35%). CONCLUSIONS: This review confirms that SARS-CoV-2 is associated with a high risk of ALI. Further studies are needed to investigate the association and elucidate potential mechanisms, which may include a hypercoagulable state and hyperactivation of the immune response. Furthermore, management of ALI is not standardized and depends on patient condition and extension of the thrombosed segment. ALI in COVID-19 patients is associated with high risk of failure of revascularization and perioperative mortality.

Impact of COVID-19 on aortic operations.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has profoundly affected all aspects of medicine and surgery. Vascular surgery practice and interventions were also forced to change in order to deal with new COVID-19-related priorities and emergencies. In this setting, difficulties in aortic disease management were two-fold: new vascular complications related to COVID-19 infection and the need to guarantee prompt and correct treatment for the general "non-COVID-19" population. Furthermore, discomfort deriving from precautions to minimize the risk of virus transmission among patients and among health care professionals, the need to separate COVID-19-positive from COVID-19-negative patients, and the high incidence of postoperative complications in COVID-19 cases created a challenging scenario for cardiac operations. The aim of this review was to provide evidence derived from the published literature (case reports, case series, multicenter experience, and expert opinion) on the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on aortic vascular surgery services and interventions, describing COVID-19-related findings, intraoperative and postoperative outcomes, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on noninfectious aortic patients.

COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome: can iloprost have a role for the treatment?

Pulmonary infection of 2019-nCoV can frequently induce acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with partial pressure of arterial oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio (pO2/FiO2) of less than 300 mmHg. Moreover, it can be complicated with cardiac injury or arrhythmia, microvascular and large-vessel thrombosis. We describe a case of a patient with COVID19-ARDS and concomitant critical ischemia of the limbs. Iloprost treatment, an analogue of a prostacyclin PGI2, was started for residual left forefoot ischemia after surgical thromboembolectomy. Unexpectedly, we documented improvement of respiratory performance and lung high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) showed significant regression of the diffuse pulmonary ground-glass opacity. The hypothetical mechanism is that iloprost can enhance perfusion preferentially to well-ventilated lung regions, reduce pressures of peripheral pulmonary vessels and induce reduction of lung interstitial edema. In addition, iloprost antithrombotic effect, endothelial damage repairing and neo-angiogenesis activity could play a relevant role.

Acute limb ischemia in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Objective: The aim of our study was to determine the incidence, characteristics, and clinical outcomes of patients with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who had presented with and been treated for acute limb ischemia (ALI) during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Methods: We performed a single-center, observational cohort study. The data from all patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 and had presented with ALI requiring urgent operative treatment were collected in a prospectively maintained database. For the present series, successful revascularization of the treated arterial segment was defined as the absence of early (<30 days) re-occlusion or major amputation or death within 24 hours. The primary outcomes were successful revascularization, early (≤30 days) and late (≥30 days) survival, postoperative (≤30 days) complications, and limb salvage. Results: We evaluated the data from 20 patients with ALI who were positive for COVID-19. For the period from January to March, the incidence rate of patients presenting with ALI in 2020 was significantly greater than that for the same months in 2019 (23 of 141 [16.3%] vs 3 of 163 [1.8%]; P < .001)]. Of the 20 included patients, 18 were men (90%) and two were women (10%). Their mean age was 75 ± 9 years (range, 62-95 years). All 20 patients already had a diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia. Operative treatment was performed in 17 patients (85%). Revascularization was successful in 12 of the 17 (70.6%). Although successful revascularization was not significantly associated with the postoperative use of intravenous heparin (64.7% vs 83.3%; P = .622), no patient who had received intravenous heparin required reintervention. Of the 20 patients, eight (40%) had died in the hospital. The patients who had died were significantly older (81 ± 10 years vs 71 ± 5 years; P = .008). The use of continuous postoperative systemic heparin infusion was significantly associated with survival (0% vs 57.1%; P = .042). Conclusions: In our preliminary experience, the incidence of ALI has significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Italian Lombardy region. Successful revascularization was lower than expected, which we believed was due to a virus-related hypercoagulable state. The use of prolonged systemic heparin might improve surgical treatment efficacy, limb salvage, and overall survival.

Endovascular Treatment of Congenital External Carotid-Jugular Fistula: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Congenital vascular malformation (CVM) between the external carotid artery and the internal jugular vein is a rare disease, it originates as a consequence of arrested development during various stages of embryogenesis. The natural history of CMVs is progressive growth, it can remain clinically silent until it progresses causing local swelling accompanied by symptoms and signs of arteriovenous shunting, mass effect, ischemic insult with ulceration of skin or bleeding. In literature only few cases of CMVs have been reported, therefore there is still no consensus about the correct surgical approach to this pathology. We report an uncomplicated case of CVMs in a 15-year-old female successfully treated with coils embolization. To our knowledge, this is the eighth reported case in the literature review.

Total aortic arch endovascular repair using an iliac branch device.

A 76-year-old man who 2 years before underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair for aneurysm of the aortic arch was admitted to our department with dysphonia and dysphagia due to an increasing diameter of aneurysm of the aortic arch because of type Ia endoleak. To obtain an adequate proximal neck for conventional thoracic endovascular aortic repair, the double chimney graft technique was chosen using a hypogastric component of the iliac branch Excluder (W. L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, Ariz) for the anonymous trunk. At 1-year follow-up, computed tomography scan showed patent chimney graft and no endoleaks. This is the first report in the literature using a hypogastric branch in the aortic arch.

Comparison of precuffed expanded polytetrafluorothylene and heparin-bonded polytetrafluorothylene graft in crural bypass.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate early and midterm results of tibial bypasses comparing precuffed expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft (Distaflo) and heparin-bonded PTFE graft (Propaten) with a distal vein patch. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort analysis evaluating patients who underwent PTFE femorocrural bypasses between April 2004 and December 2010 at the Vascular Surgery Division of the Poliambulanza Foundation Hospital (Brescia, Italy). Results were analyzed in terms of primary and secondary graft patency, limb salvage, and survival with univariate (Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test) and multivariate (Cox regression) analyses. RESULTS: After analyzing many patients, we found 79 femorotibial bypass PTFE grafts. We used a Propaten graft and vein patch in 40 patients and a Distaflo graft in 39 patients. The two groups were comparable for main risk factors, except for age. Indication for surgical revascularization was critical limb ischemia in all patients. In 54 cases (68%), it was a redo bypass because of a previously failed revascularization. Perioperative mortality within 30 days from intervention was 2.5%, whereas overall mortality during follow-up was 29%, with a 36-month survival rate of 58% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44-0.77) on life table analysis. We observed a significant difference between two groups in terms of survival at 36 months (Propaten: 0.84 [95% CI: 0.69-1]; Distaflo: 0.21 [95% CI: 0.07-0.63]; P < 0.001; 95% CI: 0.07-0.63; odds ratio [OR]: 0.21). At 24 months, the two groups (Propaten vs. Distaflo) were equivalent in terms of primary patency (Propaten: 0.33 [95% CI: 0.21-0.53]; Distaflo: 0.47 [95% CI: 0.32-0.70]; P = 0.793), secondary patency (Propaten: 0.36 [95% CI: 0.23-0.57]; Distaflo: 0.49 [95% CI: 0.33-0.72]; P = 0.855), and limb salvage (Propaten: 0.65 [95% CI: 0.51-0.84]; Distaflo: 0.57 [95% CI: 0.41-0.79]; P = 0.18). At Cox regression analysis, age of >80 years (P < 0.04; 95% CI: 0.23-0.95; OR: 0.47), peroneal artery distal anastomosis (P < 0.04; 95% CI: 1.04-5.62; OR: 2.42), simultaneous adjunctive procedures (P < 0.02; 95% CI: 1.21-17.74; OR: 4.64), and redo bypass (P < 0.05; 95% CI: 1-6.26; OR: 2.5) were associated with long-term poorer primary patency rates. Postoperative treatment with warfarin therapy compared with antiplatelet therapy was independently associated with better secondary patency (P < 0.04; 95% CI: 0.20-0.95; OR: 0.44) and limb salvage (P < 0.03; 95% CI: 0.11-0.87; OR: 0.32) rates. CONCLUSIONS: Distaflo and Propaten with a distal vein patch in our experience have similar patency and limb salvage results, although further randomized and larger studies are necessary. Postoperative anticoagulation therapy seems better than antiplatelet therapy in terms of patency and limb salvage rate.

Fate of popliteal artery aneurysms after exclusion and bypass.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of popliteal aneurysm (PA) includes exclusion and bypass graft. In excluded sac, persistent flow through collateral arteries (endoleak) could result in aneurysm growth. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed PA treated by exclusion and bypass, using duplex ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) scans to demonstrate the presence of residual flow and sac growth. RESULTS: Between 1997 and 2007, we treated 53 PAs in 46 patients by ligation and bypass grafting using polytetrafuoroethylene (PTFE) or saphenous vein. The mean PA diameter preoperatively was 33.4 mm (range, 20-70 mm). At a mean follow-up period of 35 months, 75% (n = 40) PA showed a decrease in mean transverse diameter, from 33.4 to 27.3 mm (p < 0.001). In 17% patients (n = 9), aneurysm sac size remained unchanged, whereas in 8% (n = 4) it increased (mean, 4.5 mm). In six cases (11%), persistent sac flow was revealed by Duplex or TC scan. One patient with a large aneurysm that increased by 50% underwent endoaneurysmorrhaphy through a posterior approach because of symptoms related to local compression. No rupture occurred in follow-up period. The cumulative Kaplan-Meier patency rate at 12, 36, and 60 months were 86%, 76%, and 69%, respectively. Limb salvage rate at 5 years was 92%. Cumulative patency rate at 60 months in the group with popliteal artery unchanged or increased resulted significantly lower than the group with aneurismal sac decreased (30% vs. 84%; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis did not show correlation between risk factors or preoperative aneurysm diameter, and increased or decreased sac size. CONCLUSIONS: In our results, aneurysm sac growth exists but is low, and a persistent sac flow was not correlated to increased sac size. In view of these results, we believe that medial approach for popliteal artery reconstruction can be used because the aneurysm increase is low and the risk of rupture is not important. No decrease of sac size was otherwise significantly correlated to graft patency.

Endovascular repair of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in a patient with unfavorable anatomy.

Endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) offers hope of improved outcomes in patients presenting with acute rupture. However, a high proportion of such patients have unfavorable proximal neck anatomy and are not suitable for treatment with conventional endografts. In this case report, the authors describe a successful endovascular repair of a ruptured AAA with very short and angulated proximal neck.

Endovascular treatment of a symptomatic carotid artery aneurysm with a stent graft.

Endovascular methods have become more widespread and offer an alternative to surgery, which is often difficult in case of a hostile neck resulting from radiotherapy. Carotid pseudoaneurysm after laryngectomy is a very uncommon complication. We report a case of symptomatic carotid artery pseudoaneurysm treated using a stent graft.

Home therapy with LMWH in deep vein thrombosis: randomized study comparing single and double daily administrations.

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in terms of the evolution of thrombosis, the incidence of adverse events, and compliance with heparin treatment using 2 types of LMWH available on the market administered in therapeutic doses throughout the period of treatment (Nadroparin) or at therapeutic doses only during the first month of treatment followed by a prophylactic phase at half dose (Parnaparin). A randomized prospective study was carried out on patients under observation with a recent diagnosis of DVT. The objectives of the study were to confirm the effectiveness of therapy with LMWH in terms of prevention of the risk of thromboembolism, of relapse of DVT, and of hemorrhagic complications, and to complete an evaluation of venous recanalization and residual valve competence in the 2 groups of patients. From December 2002 to June 2005, we randomized a total of 91 patients (51 in the Parnaparin group and 40 in the Nadroparin group). Overall, there was 1 case of nonfatal pulmonary embolism (1.1%) at 7 days into therapy with LMWH. There were 3 cases (3.3%) of progression of thrombosis despite therapy with LMWH, 2 cases (5%) in the Nadroparin group, and 1 case (2%) in the Parnaparin group (P = NS), and after suspension of the therapy, there was 1 case of relapse of thrombosis. Three of the 4 thrombotic events occurred in patients with active neoplasia. Moreover, only 1 major hemorrhagic event (1.1%) required blood transfusion. The Doppler ultrasound in the follow-up showed a complete resolution of 56% of the vein thromboses at an average of 6.1 +/- 4.6 (mean +/- SD) months. Valve competence recovered in 65.9% of cases with no significant difference between the 2 heparin groups. Home treatment of sural and femoral-popliteal DVT using LMWH represents a safe and effective method in the prevention of pulmonary embolism and encourages the process of recanalization of the thrombosed vessel, especially in cases of sural and/or popliteal DVT. Administration can be carried out with the same degree of safety at the therapeutic dose throughout the period of treatment or can be halved after the first month of treatment. In patients with active neoplasia, treatment with oral anticoagulant therapy must be considered.

Routine shunting is a safe and reliable method of cerebral protection during carotid endarterectomy.

The purpose of this report is to describe the perioperative and long-term outcomes of standard carotid endarterectomy (CEA) with general anesthesia, routine shunting, and patching and to show that routine shunting is a safe and reliable method of cerebral protection. Between January 1998 and December 2004, 700 patients attending our Department of Vascular Surgery underwent 786 CEAs performed using a standardized technique. Forty-four patients were excluded from the analysis because they underwent combined CEA and coronary artery bypass grafting, so the analysis is based on the results of 742 CEAs in 656 patients (86 bilateral CEAs). The strict surgical protocol included general anesthesia and standard carotid bifurcation endarterectomy with routine shunting (Javid's shunt) and Dacron patching. The Javid shunts were easily inserted in 738 cases (99.4%) but could not be used in four cases (0.5%) because of the presence of a very small internal carotid artery. The mean ischemic time required to insert the shunt and complete the suture was 4.7 min (+/-1.15), and the mean time to perform the endarterectomy was 34.3 min (+/-6.7). The mean follow-up was 24.4 months (+/-17.3). Overall 30-day mortality was 0.1% (one patient) due to a contralateral major stroke. The 1-month perioperative neurological complication rate was 0.7%, with three major and two minor strokes. The cumulative stroke and death rate was 0.8%. Preoperative symptoms such as hypertension, contralateral occlusion, or an age of more than 80 years were not independent risk factors for perioperative stroke. In the long-term follow-up, Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated an estimated 5-year stroke-free rate of 98.0%. There were eight cases (1%) of >70% restenosis (four cases) or thrombosis (four cases) of the operated internal carotid artery during the follow-up in asymptomatic patients: in four cases, carotid stenting due to >70% restenosis led to good results. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of the restenosis-free rate was 97.8%. The combined stroke and mortality rate of 0.8%, and the restenosis rate of 1% support the argument that standard CEA performed with routine shunting as brain protection leads to excellent early and long-term results.