External Iliac Occlusion Does Not Preclude Endovascular Management of Aortoiliac Disease-Technique and Evolution of Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Controversy remains over how to best manage chronic total occlusions of the aortoiliac (AI) system. Uncovered stents are the traditional choice but offer less durability in theory with the risk of stent ingrowth. External iliac artery (EIA) occlusions are challenging due to access difficulty. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of patients who had undergone endovascular AI intervention between December, 2014 and March, 2017 for Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus D lesions. The primary study end point was overall survival. Secondary end points included primary assisted or secondary patency and procedural complications. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were identified in the 22-month period that underwent recanalization of at least 1 iliac segment, using Atrium iCAST in the aorta and common iliac segments and/or Viabahn stents in the external iliac arteries. Overall AI patency was 100% (mean 6.8 months). Six AI bifurcation advancements were performed (primary patency 100%, mean 8 months). Eight patients with EIA occlusion underwent total percutaneous revascularization (primary patency 88%, secondary patency 100% mean 6 months). Five outflow procedures were performed concurrent to the AI recanalization. Two patients (15.4%) died of cardiovascular events. No access site complications were observed in the cohort. CONCLUSIONS: AI occlusive disease remains a surgical challenge. Although uncovered stents are a common therapy for revascularization of this vascular bed, our experience with balloon-expanding and self-expanding covered stents suggests they may be used to good effect with minimal complications in the intermediate term.

Endovascular Management of a Large Persistent Sciatic Artery Aneurysm.

The persistent sciatic artery (PSA) is a remnant of the fetal circulatory system that is preserved in less than 0.1% of the population. Up to 60% of patients with this vascular anomaly will go on to development of a PSA aneurysm (PSAA), which can produce a variety of symptoms including neuropathy, claudication, and acute limb-threatening ischemia. Historical management is by open operation and interposition grafting, which can be highly morbid. We describe successful management of a large, symptomatic PSAA by endovascular stent grafting with intermediate term follow-up.

Renal Arteriovenous Malformations: A Rare Vascular Cause of Back Pain.

BACKGROUND: Renal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a very rare phenomenon (fewer than 200 cases in the literature), most commonly (75%) presenting with hematuria in young women. Renal AVMs may be cirsoid (multibranched) or cavernous, with cirsoid morphology predominating 3:1. The historical treatment is partial nephrectomy. Best endovascular therapy is divided among many options. We present 2 cases of large renal AVMs treated with single Amplatzer plugs. METHODS: During a 2-year period (2014-15), 2 patients presented for vascular evaluation of renal AVMs found incidentally on workup for nonspecific abdominal and back pain. Both were the less common cavernous-type AVM. Each noted back pain ipsilateral to the AVM. Neither had a history of trauma or renal procedures. Each underwent angiography and Amplatzer plug placement to occlude flow while preserving parenchyma. RESULTS: Each patient successfully underwent occlusion of the arterial feeding branch of the AVM with immediate angiographic success. Each patient subsequently underwent follow-up imaging that demonstrated absence of filling of the AVM with preservation of healthy renal parenchyma. CONCLUSIONS: Renal AVMs, although very rare, do present to vascular surgeons and may be managed successfully via an endovascular approach with standard techniques. Although renal AVMs are often managed with cyanoacrylate embolization, careful selective arterial catheterization allows for single plug embolization with excellent results and without requiring venous intervention.

Dialysis Access Hemorrhage: Access Rescue from a Surgical Emergency.

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhage from a dialysis access can be a life-threatening condition. This study details our experience using access rescue strategies, including in situ graft replacement, primary repair, or conversion to an autogenous fistula, coupled with treatment of central vein occlusion to maintain access usage in patients presenting with conduit hemorrhage. METHODS: During a 3-year period (2012-2014), 26 patients (14 women, 12 men) on chronic hemodialysis were treated for access conduit bleeding (n = 18) or life-threatening hemorrhage (n = 8), located in the upper extremity (n = 23) or thigh (n = 3). All patients had developed bleeding from a skin eschar/ulcer over a bovine (n = 9) or polytetrafluoroethylene (n = 9) bridge graft, or aneurysmal autogenous fistula (n = 8). A retrospective review of outcome relative to clinical signs, etiology of conduit bleeding (infection, wall erosion), and the type of rescue procedure(s) was performed. Duplex ultrasound testing was used to guide therapy based on the presence of aneurysmal degeneration, perigraft fluid, or access flow pattern indicative of venous outflow obstruction. RESULTS: One-half of the patients were taken emergently to the operating room for hemorrhage control or impending rupture of an infected false aneurysm, the remaining repaired on an urgent basis. In 18 patients, emergency room personnel attempted control of access site bleeding by suturing (n = 14) or tourniquet (n = 4). Dialysis access salvage was achieved in 22 (85%) of 26 patients by in situ conduit replacement using a rifampin-soaked polytetrafluoroethylene conduit (n = 19) or primary repair (n = 3). Two patients with sepsis and ruptured, infected false aneurysm were treated by ligation, and 2 patients with nonsalvable access had conversion to an autogenous fistula. One-third of rescued accesses (n = 7) had staged endovascular treatment of central vein stenosis. One patient died within 30 days. All dialysis access revisions remained patent and used for immediate dialysis (n = 5), within 4-5 weeks (n = 19), or after vein maturation (n = 2). One replaced graft was revised for infection. Positive blood or bleeding site cultures were obtained from 9 (45%) of 20 patients tested. CONCLUSIONS: Salvage of a functional dialysis access is possible in the majority of patients presenting with conduit hemorrhage. Loss of wall integrity, infection, and venous hypertension were etiologic factors. Application of in situ graft replacement strategies known to be effective in the treatment of graft infection should be considered in the management of this surgical emergency.

Intervention after endovascular aneurysm repair: Endosalvage techniques including perigraft arterial sac embolization and endograft relining.

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has revolutionized the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). However, persistent AAA sac endoleak following EVAR can result in sac diameter increase requiring re-intervention in up to one-third of cases and even result in aneurysm rupture. In this case review, we summarize and detail endovascular re-interventions for each type of endoleak. We also detail specific options including stent-graft relining for indeterminate, Type III, and Type IV endoleaks and perigraft arterial sac embolization to induce thrombosis and resolve acute Type I, II, or III endoleaks. Endograft relining involves placement of a new stent-graft-elevating the bifurcation and extending the repair from renal artery to hypogastric arteries; perigraft arterial sac embolization involves placement of a catheter into the excluded sac from common femoral artery access, characterization of the inflow and outflow of the endoleak, and inducing cessation of the blood flow into the sac by the administration of thrombogenic material. Endoleaks range from low-pressure endoleaks, which can be safely monitored in a surveillance program to high-pressure endoleaks, which mandate intervention when associated with AAA sac diameter increase to protect from rupture. The evaluation of new devices and techniques to treat endoleak after EVAR remains an important issue in patient care after EVAR.

A multiregional registry experience using an electronic medical record to optimize data capture for longitudinal outcomes in endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

OBJECTIVE: Registries have been proven useful to assess clinical outcomes, but data entry and personnel expenses are challenging. We developed a registry to track patients undergoing endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) in an integrated health care system, leveraging an electronic medical record (EMR) to evaluate clinical practices, device performance, surgical complications, and medium-term outcomes. This study describes the registry design, data collection, outcomes validation, and ongoing surveillance, highlighting the unique integration with the EMR. METHODS: EVARs in six geographic regions of Kaiser Permanente were entered in the registry. Cases were imported using a screening algorithm of inpatient codes applied to the EMR. Standard note templates containing data fields were used for surgeons to enter preoperative, postoperative, and operative data as part of normal workflows in the operating room and clinics. Clinical content experts reviewed cases and entered any missing data of operative details. Patient comorbidities, aneurysm characteristics, implant details, and surgical outcomes were captured. Patients entered in the registry are followed up for life, and all relevant events are captured. RESULTS: Between January 2010 and June 2013, 2112 procedures were entered in the registry. Surgeon compliance with data entry ranges from 60% to 90% by region but has steadily increased over time. Mean aneurysm size was 5.9 cm (standard deviation, 1.3). Most patients were male (84%), were hypertensive (69%), or had a smoking history (79%). The overall reintervention rate was 10.8%: conversion to open repair (0.9%), EVAR revision (2.6%), other surgical intervention (7.3%). Of the reinterventions, 27% were for endoleaks (I, 34.3%; II, 56.9%; III, 8.8%; IV and V, 0.0%), 10.5% were due to graft malfunction, 3.4% were due to infection, and 2.3% were due to rupture. CONCLUSIONS: Leveraging an EMR provides a robust platform for monitoring short-term and midterm outcomes after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Use of standardized templates in the EMR allows data entry as part of normal workflow, improving compliance, accuracy, and data capture using limited but expert personnel. Assessment of patient demographics, device performance, practice variation, and postoperative outcomes benefits clinical decision-making by providing complete and adjudicated event reporting. The findings from this large, community-based EVAR registry augment other studies limited to perioperative and short-term outcomes or small patient cohorts.

Concomitant cholecystectomy should be routinely performed with laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

INTRODUCTION: As the popularity of a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surpassed that of an open approach, practice of concomitant cholecystectomy declined. Low rates of gallbladder disease following RYGB and high complication rates of concomitant cholecystectomy have been published, but these population-based studies have lacked long-term outcomes and survival data. STUDY DESIGN: The California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development longitudinal database was queried for patients who underwent RYGB with or without cholecystectomy between 1995 and 2009. Additionally, patients who underwent cholecystectomy after RYGB were compared to all cholecystectomy patients. Primary outcome was survival; secondary long-term outcomes included cholangitis, common duct stones, dumping syndrome, metabolic derangements, ventral hernia, any hernia, marginal ulcers, and reoperation. Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed to determine adjusted survival and outcomes. RESULTS: Of 134,584 RYGB patients, 21,022 underwent concomitant cholecystectomy. Concomitant cholecystectomy improved both survival (HR[95 % CI] 0.51[.48-.54]) and long-term outcomes (HR 0.84[.77-.91]). Incidence of gallbladder disease following RYGB was 6.8 and 15.2 % at 1 and 5 years. In subsequent analysis of 829,333 cholecystectomy patients, 7,099 underwent prior RYGB with higher risk of conversion to open (HR 1.58[1.41-1.78]), post-operative complication (HR 1.47[1.36-1.6]) and death (HR 1.32[1.17-1.5]). CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant cholecystectomy is safe for RYGB patients. Given high rates of gallbladder disease and increased risk when cholecystectomy is performed following RYGB, cholecystectomy should be considered at the time of RYGB.

Vascular surgical site infection: risk factors and preventive measures.

Surgical site infection (SSI) after arterial intervention is a common nosocomial vascular complication and an important cause of postoperative morbidity. Its prevention requires the vascular surgeon and the health care team to be cognizant of its epidemiology and patient-specific risk factors to apply effective measures to reduce the incidence. The majority of vascular SSIs are caused by Gram-positive bacteria with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) now a prevalent pathogen that is involved in more than one-third of cases. Nasal carriage of methicillin-sensitive S. aureus or MRSA strains, recent hospitalization, a failed arterial reconstruction, and the presence of a groin incision are major risk factors for developing a vascular SSI. Overall, the SSI rate after arterial intervention is higher than predicted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance Risk Category System, and ranges from 1% to 2% after open or endovascular aortic interventions, to as high as 10% to 20% after lower-limb bypass grafting procedures. Application of perioperative measures to reduce S. aureus nasal and skin colonization in conjunction with appropriate, bactericidal antibiotic prophylaxis, meticulous wound closure, and postoperative care to optimize patient host defense regulation mechanisms (eg, temperature, oxygenation, and blood sugar) can minimize SSI occurrence.

Mortality after ground-level fall in the elderly patient taking oral anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation/flutter: a long-term analysis of risk versus benefit.

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients with atrial fibrillation or flutter who experience ground-level falls are at risk for lethal head injuries. Patients on oral anticoagulation (OAC) for thromboprophylaxis may be at higher risk for these head injuries. Trauma surgeons treating these patients face a difficult choice: (1) continue OAC to minimize stroke risk while increasing the risk of a lethal head injury or (2) discontinue OAC to avoid intracranial hemorrhage while increasing the risk of stroke. To inform this choice, we conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess long-term outcomes and risk factors for mortality after presentation with a ground-level fall among patients with and without OAC. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the longitudinal version of the California Office of Statewide Planning and Development database was performed for years 1995 to 2009. Elderly anticoagulated patients (age > 65 years) with known atrial fibrillation or flutter who fell were stratified by CHA2DS2-VASc score and compared with a nonanticoagulated control cohort. Multivariable logistic regression including patient demographics, stroke risk, injury severity, and hospital type identified risk factors for mortality. RESULTS: A total of 377,873 patient records met the inclusion criteria, 42,913 on OAC and 334,960 controls. The mean age was 82.4 and 80.6 years, respectively. Most were female, with CHA2DS2-VASc scores between 3 and 5. Mortality among OAC patients after a first fall was 6%, compared with 3.1% among non-OAC patients. Patients dying with a head injury constituted 31.6% of deaths within OAC patients compared with 23.8% among controls. Risk of eventual death with head injury exceeded annualized stroke risk for patients with CHA2DS2-VASc scores of 0 to 2. Predictors for mortality with head injury on the first admission included male sex, Asian ethnicity, a history of stroke, and trauma center admission. CONCLUSION: Elderly patients on OAC for atrial fibrillation and/or flutter who fall have a greater risk for mortality compared with controls. Patients with low CHA2DS2-VASc scores (0-3) at high risk for falls with identified risk factors should speak to their prescribing physicians regarding the risk/benefits of continued use of OAC. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic/prognostic study, level III.

TAMIS-assisted laparoscopic low anterior resection with total mesorectal excision in a cadaveric series.

BACKGROUND: To demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative technique for the surgical management of rectal cancer, we performed transanal minimally invasive surgery assisted low anterior resection with total mesorectal excision (TAMIS-assisted LAR with TME) in a cadaver model. Transanal LAR via natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery has been reported in cadaveric series using rigid transanal platforms. This procedure has not been described using a combination of a single incision laparoscopy and TAMIS transanal endoscopic platform. We describe the first cadaveric series of TAMIS-assisted LAR with TME. METHODS: TAMIS-assisted LAR with TME was successfully performed in five fresh human cadavers. The procedure was performed using the mini-Gelpoint single incision platform and the Gelpoint Path TAMIS platform (Applied Medical, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA). The variables recorded were age, body mass index (BMI), operative time, complications, and specimen length. The grade of the TME was determined by evaluation of the specimen by photo documentation by a gastrointestinal pathologist. RESULTS: All cadavers were male with a mean age of 71 ± 8 years and mean BMI of 28 ± 3 kg/m(2). The mean operative time was 200 ± 55 min (range 128-249 min). The quality of the TME was grade I (complete) with intact mesorectum in all five cases. The mean specimen length was 36.8 ± 3.4 cm. CONCLUSIONS: TAMIS-assisted LAR with TME was feasible. A high-quality TME can be achieved using this innovative technique. Transanal endoscopic total mesorectal dissection may revolutionize the surgical management of rectal cancer. However, multicenter clinical trials are needed to further evaluate the oncologic safety and surgical outcomes of transanal endoscopic TME using various platforms before widespread application of this new technique.

Mortality for intra-abdominal infection is associated with intrinsic risk factors rather than the source of infection.

BACKGROUND: Intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are an important cause of mortality and morbidity. Nosocomial IAIs (NIAIs) have been associated with higher mortality than community-acquired IAIs (CIAIs). We hypothesized that intrinsic risk factors were a better predictor of mortality than the type of infection. METHODS: Patients with IAI treated at a single urban academic hospital over 8 years (June 1999-June 2007) were retrospectively reviewed. Data collected included demographics, comorbidities, source of infection, type of infection (community vs nosocomial), type of intervention (operation versus percutaneous drainage), and postoperative complications. Charlson Comorbidity Index and multiple organ dysfunction (MOD) scores were evaluated at admission and on postoperative day 7 (POD-7). RESULTS: There were 452 patients; 234 (51.8%) had CIAI and 218 (48.2%) had NIAI. The mean age was 51.3 +/- 0.8. The most common source of CIAI was the appendix (n = 129, 28.5%); 137 patients with NIAI had postoperative infections (30.3%). When patients with appendicitis were excluded, there was no difference in mortality or complications between patients with CIAI and NIAI. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated catheter-related bloodstream infection (P < .001; OR 7.3, 95% CI, 2.5-22.2), cardiac event (P < .001; OR 6.0, 95% CI, 2.3-16.1), and age > or = 65 (P = .009; OR 3.8, 95% CI, 1.4-8.8) to be independent risk factors for mortality. Among patients who failed initial therapy, a non-appendiceal source of infection (P < .001; OR 4.7, 95% CI, 2.3-9.8) and a Charlson score > or =2 (P = .033; OR 1.6, 95% CI, 1.0-2.6) were determined to be independent risk factors. Non-appendiceal source of infection (P = .001, OR 3.3, 95% CI, 1.6-7.0) and POD-7 MOD score > or =4 (P < .001; OR 3.4, 95% CI, 1.9-6.0) were found to be independent predictors for re-intervention. CONCLUSION: These results suggest mortality from IAI is strongly related to age and organ dysfunction; however, catheter-related bloodstream infection and postoperative cardiac events have a greater effect on outcome.

Peritonitis - the Western experience.

Peritonitis is a common surgical emergency. This manuscript will provide an overview of recent developments in the management of peritonitis in the Western world. Emphasis is placed on the emergence of new treatments and their impact of outcomes.