Revascularization of radial artery for ischemic hand with history of hand reimplantation.

Limb reimplantation is widely described, but there are sparse reports of limb ischemia complications. We present the case of a patient with hand reimplantation who developed limb-threatening ischemia 20 years later. The patient is a 37-year-old man with a history of traumatic wrist amputation and reimplantation who presented with fingertip ulcerations. Testing demonstrated ischemic digit pressures and no flow in the palmar arch. The initial angiogram demonstrated radial artery occlusion. Balloon angioplasty had initial success; however, the loss of primary patency prompted repeat angiography with the use of intravascular ultrasound and laser atherectomy. His symptoms and wounds resolved, with normalized digit pressures. His radial artery remains patent after 2 years.

Definition and Perception of Autonomy in Vascular Surgery Training.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of data evaluating operative autonomy within vascular surgery. This study aims to determine where discrepancies exist in the definition of autonomy between trainees and attending faculty. METHODS: An Institutional Review Board-approved, anonymous survey was e-mailed to vascular trainees and attending faculty at all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-approved vascular surgery training programs in the United States. Data were compared using chi-square statistical analysis. RESULTS: One-hundred forty-nine responses from vascular surgery trainees (n = 89) and faculty (n = 60) were obtained. The most highly ranked preoperative skill by trainees was Case Planning, at all post-graduate year-levels. Although a majority of trainees believe this skill is expected of them, only 36.1% of attendings responded that they expect all trainee levels to perform this task. Draping/positioning was ranked as the second most important intraoperative task for all post-graduate year-levels by attendings; however, only 32.8% of attendings expect trainees to perform this. Exposure of Critical Structures was ranked as the most important intraoperative task by both trainees and attendings at the Chief and Fellow level. However, responses by both trainees and attendings showed that this is expected <70% of the time. When asked about double-scrubbing independently of other tasks, most trainees assessed double-scrubbing as inherently important to autonomy at all levels of training and within all regions. Only 44.3% of attendings responded that they expect all trainees to double-scrub. Additionally, most trainees in all regions responded that they spend <25% of cases double-scrubbed. CONCLUSIONS: These responses show a discrepancy between the skills that both trainees and attendings deem important to autonomy versus what is being expected of trainees in reality.

COVID-19: Its Impact on Delayed Management of Pre-established Chronic Conditions.

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a common condition affecting the venous system, typically arising in the setting of increased venous pressure and impaired blood return secondary to weakened valves or damaged veins. Diabetes mellitus causes impaired circulation, neuropathy, impaired healing, and increased susceptibility to infection. Because diabetes and CVI are interconnected, ulcerations can progress to necrotizing fasciitis if not treated promptly and appropriately. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has further complicated patient care and is a potential risk for complications and delays in the management of time-sensitive conditions like necrotizing fasciitis. Here, we present a case study highlighting the impact of COVID-19 on the delayed management of necrotizing fasciitis in a 51-year-old male with multiple comorbidities.

Giant Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC): A Case Report of Delayed Diagnosis and Management.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. It typically presents with macroscopic hematuria, weight loss, and or a palpable flank mass. Diagnosis of this disease involves imaging techniques such as abdominal ultrasound and CT scans. Care for RCC can consist of ablation, tumor removal, nephrectomy, and systemic treatment options. Herein, we present a case of a 50-year-old Hispanic male with complaints of rectal bleeding and hematuria. Prior to admission, the patient had been informed twice about high suspicion of renal malignancy. Due to low health literacy and barriers to communication, he failed to understand the magnitude of his diagnosis. Subsequently, he underwent a resection of a considerable 22 cm x 13 cm x 13 cm RCC of his left kidney. This case highlights the need for effective patient health education to prevent emotional distress in patients with low health literacy.

Conservative Management of Postoperative Urinary Leak and Intra-Abdominal Abscess.

Ureteral injury is a rare occurrence in medical practice. Most cases encountered stem from blunt trauma or are iatrogenic, occurring during open abdominal or pelvic surgery and laparoscopic procedures. Prompt diagnosis of ureteral injury allows clinicians to avoid complications including ureteral strictures, abscess, renal failure, sepsis, and loss of the ipsilateral kidney. Treatment depends on whether the ureteral injury was discovered intraoperatively or if it was a delayed diagnosis. Several procedures can be used, including ureteroureterostomy, ureteroileal interposition, and nephrectomy. Stenting can also be a viable option as it can reestablish urinary drainage. Herein, we present the case of a 43-year-old male who presented with complaints of progressive abdominal pain that was subsequently diagnosed as a left ureteral injury and how the use of a ureteral stent allowed him to have a full recovery with optimized normal ureteral function.

Extra-anatomic bypass can treat renovascular hypertension due to atherosclerotic atypical aortic coarctation.

Atypical aortic coarctation causing high-grade descending thoracic aortic stenosis secondary to calcified atherosclerosis is rare. We have described the case of a 75-year old man with uncontrolled renovascular hypertension secondary to this etiology. His unique anatomy meant he was not a candidate for endovascular management and his multiple comorbidities meant he was high risk for open thoracoabdominal surgery. He successfully underwent extra-anatomic bypass. Postoperatively, his renovascular hypertension improved, and he was weaned off multiple intravenous and oral antihypertensive medications. The findings from the present case suggest that extra-anatomic bypass can be a good option for treating selected patients with renovascular hypertension due to atypical aortic coarctation.

Percutaneous, Antegrade Access of the Superficial Femoral Artery can be Safely Used in Procedures for the Treatment of Lower Extremity Limb Ischemia.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that antegrade access for treatment of infrainguinal peripheral vascular disease is associated with decreased radiation exposure and contrast use without a significant increase in access complication, although data are limited on antegrade superficial femoral artery (SFA) access for larger sheath sizes. We aim to describe a single institution's contemporary experience with percutaneous antegrade SFA access. METHODS: A retrospective review of percutaneous, infrainguinal endovascular interventions for arterial occlusive disease at a major academic institution was conducted between 2018 and 2020. Antegrade, percutaneous, SFA access cases were included. Information on demographics, indication, sheath size, arteries treated, type of intervention, concurrent pedal access, closure devices, and complications was collected and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 45 patients with an average body mass index of 25.25 were identified. Indications for intervention included tissue loss (64.4%), rest pain (6.7%), claudication (13.3%), and acute limb ischemia (11.1%). Of which, 80.0% of patients had multilevel interventions. Angioplasty was performed in 68.8% of patients, stenting in 8.3%, atherectomy in 15.6%, and thrombectomy in 7.3%. Nearly a quarter of cases involved concurrent pedal access. Maximum sheath size was 4F for 4.4% of patients, 5F for 28.9%, 6F for 46.7%, 7F for 11.1%, and 8F for 8.9%. The closure device was utilized in 75.6% of cases, with no closure device failures. In the entire cohort, there were no demonstrated access site complications. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates percutaneous, antegrade SFA access for complex endovascular interventions for infrainguinal occlusive disease can be effectively utilized, even with larger sheath size. Moreover, routine use of closure devices is safe, improving patient comfort and expediting time to ambulation.

Leadership skills curriculum development for residents and fellows: A needs-assessment.

BACKGROUND: Non-technical skills (NTS) curricula have demonstrated success in surgical residencies. The purpose of this study is to examine the need for a structured leadership curriculum at our institution. METHODS: A needs-assessment survey analyzing the importance of leadership domains, previously validated by Kazley et al. was delivered to 240 general surgery staff. Respondent groups were broken down into: Attendings, Residents, and Multi-Disciplinary. Statistical analyses were conducted using Cronbach's Alpha (α = 0.9259) and Fisher's exact test (pre-set p-value = 0.05). The importance of each competency was compared among groups and importance was defined as >75% important and very important responses. RESULTS: Nineteen of 33 competencies were important for all groups, including 3 with 100% importance: interpersonal communication, team-work, and problem-solving. Several competencies showed statistically significant differences among groups. CONCLUSION: A diverse range of surgery staff agreed that 19 leadership domains are important to teach residents, with some variance among respondent groups.

Intracoronary delivery of recombinant TIMP-3 after myocardial infarction: effects on myocardial remodeling and function.

Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) and myocardial infarction (MI) cause adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling and heart failure and are facilitated by an imbalance in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activation and the endogenous tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs). We have identified that myocardial injections of recombinant TIMP-3 (rTIMP-3; human full length) can interrupt post-MI remodeling. However, whether and to what degree intracoronary delivery of rTIMP-3 post-IR is feasible and effective remained to be established. Pigs (25 kg) underwent coronary catheterization and balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) for 90 min whereby at the final 4 min, rTIMP-3 (30 mg, n = 9) or saline was infused in the distal LAD. LV echocardiography was performed at 3-28 days post-IR, and LV ejection fraction (EF) and LV end-diastolic volume were measured. LV EF fell and LV end-diastolic volume increased from baseline (pre-IR) values (66 ± 1% and 40 ± 1 ml, respectively, means ± standard deviation) in both groups; however, the extent of LV dilation was reduced in the rTIMP-3 group by 40% at 28 days post-IR (P < 0.05) and the fall in LV EF was attenuated. Despite equivalent plasma troponin levels (14 ± 3 ng/ml), computed MI size at 28 days was reduced by over 45% in the rTIMP-3 group (P < 0.05), indicating that rTIMP-3 treatment abrogated MI expansion post-IR. Plasma NH2-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels, an index of heart failure progression, were reduced by 25% in the rTIMP-3 group compared with MI saline values (P < 0.05). Although the imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs has been recognized as a contributory factor for post-MI remodeling, therapeutic strategies targeting this imbalance have not been forthcoming. This study is the first to demonstrate that a relevant delivery approach (intracoronary) using rTIMP can alter the course of post-MI remodeling.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury remain significant causes of morbidity and mortality whereby alterations in the balance between matrix metalloproteinase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase have been identified as contributory biological mechanisms. This novel translational study advances the concept of targeted delivery of recombinant proteins to modify adverse myocardial remodeling in ischemia-reperfusion injury.