A Randomised Trial Comparing Drug Coated Balloons and Conventional Balloons for the Treatment of Stent Graft Stenosis in Dialysis Vascular Access.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies on arteriovenous fistulas have demonstrated the potential benefit of drug coated balloons (DCBs) in maintaining the patency of dialysis access. However, stenoses involving stent grafts were excluded from these studies. Therefore, the aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of DCBs in treating stent graft stenosis. METHODS: This was a prospective, single blinded, randomised controlled study. From March 2017 to April 2021, 40 patients with dysfunctional vascular access owing to stent graft stenosis were randomised to treatment with a DCB or conventional balloon. Clinical follow up was scheduled at one, three, and six months, and angiographic follow up was performed six months after the intervention. The primary outcome was angiographic late luminal loss at six months, and secondary outcomes included target lesion and access circuit primary patency at six months. RESULTS: Thirty-six participants completed follow up angiography. The DCB group had a superior mean late luminal loss at six months compared with the control group (1.82 mm ± 1.83 mm vs. 3.63 mm ± 1.08 mm, respectively, p = .001). All 40 patients completed clinical follow up. The DCB group had a superior six month target lesion primary patency compared with the control group [hazard ratio (HR) 0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07 - 0.71; p = .005). Additionally, the DCB group had a numerically higher six month access circuit primary patency rate than the control group, although the difference was not statistically significant (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.26 - 1.11, p = .095). CONCLUSION: Conventional balloon angioplasty is not durable in stent graft stenosis treatment. Treatment with DCBs provides less angiographic late luminal loss and potentially superior primary patency of the target lesion than treatment with conventional balloons. [ClinicalTrials ID: NCT03360279.].

Risks and outcomes of critical limb ischemia in hemodialysis patients: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is more common in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis than in the general population. Critical limb ischemia (CLI), the most severe form of PAD, is associated with high amputation and mortality risk. However, few prospective studies are available evaluating this disease's presentation, risk factors and outcomes for patients receiving hemodialysis. Methods: The Hsinchu VA study, a prospective multicentre study, investigated the impact of clinical factors on cardiovascular outcomes of patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis from January 2008 until December 2021. We evaluated the presentations and outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed PAD and the correlations of clinical variables with newly diagnosed CLI. Results: Of 1136 study participants, 1038 had no PAD on enrolment. After a median follow-up period of 3.3 years, 128 had newly diagnosed PAD. Of these, 65 presented with CLI, and 25 underwent amputation or died from PAD. Patients presenting with CLI had more below-the-knee (52%) and multi-level (41%) disease, and completely occluded segments (41%), and higher risk for amputation or PAD-related death compared with patients without CLI (27.7% vs 9.5%, P = .01). After multivariate adjustment, disability, diabetes mellitus, current smoking and atrial fibrillation were significantly associated with newly diagnosed CLI. Conclusions: Patients undergoing hemodialysis had higher rates of newly diagnosed CLI than the general population. Those with disabilities, diabetes mellitus, smoking and atrial fibrillation may require careful examination for PAD. Trial registration: Hsinchu VA study, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04692636.

Systematic review and meta-analysis on juvenile primary spontaneous pneumothorax: Conservative or surgical approach first?

BACKGROUND: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) prevalence is typically higher in juvenile patients than in adults. We aimed to evaluate the optimal treatment for primary spontaneous pneumothorax and its efficacy and safety in juveniles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases for eligible studies published from database inception to October 10, 2020, and conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The primary and secondary outcomes were recurrence rate and hospital stay length, respectively. Odds ratios (OR) and mean differences were used for quantitatively analyzing binary and continuous outcomes, respectively. In total, nine retrospective studies with 1,452 juvenile patients (aged <21) were included for the quantitative analysis. The surgical approach led to a lower recurrence rate than did conservative approaches (OR: 1.95, 95% confidence interval: 1.15-3.32). Moreover, the recurrence rate was low in patients who underwent conservative treatment first and received surgery later. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical approach for first-line management might have a greater effect on recurrence prevention than do conservative approaches. An upfront surgery might be an optimal choice for juvenile primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

Is sequential free flap safe in oral cancer reconstruction in the same patient? An outcome and complication analysis.

BACKGROUND: Sequential free flap reconstruction in patient with head and neck cancer can provide reliable and effective wound coverage. Only a few studies have reported on the outcome and complications analysis but without consensus on the recipient vessels and flap chosen. Herein, we presented the outcome and analysed the risk factors for complications in sequential free flap reconstruction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who had sequential free tissue transfers due to cancer recurrence, second primary cancer, or secondary correction of the soft tissue contractures and volume deficits were all included. Variables extracted included demographics, comorbidities, free flap characteristics, infection, dehiscence and flap necrosis rates. RESULTS: In total, 40 patients with 92 free flaps were analyzed; 42 initial and 50 sequential free flaps. The most common recipient vessels for sequential flap were contralateral superficial thyroid vessels (68%). The most common flap for both initial and sequential free flap was anterolateral thigh flap (64.3 and 62%). The success rate of sequential free flap was 92.0 compared to 92.9% for initial free flap, which showed no significant difference. Female was independently associated with delayed wound healing with an odds ratio of 90.91 (95% confidence interval 0.001-0.17, P = 0.001), as well as diabetes with an odds ratio of 31.14 (95% confidence interval 2.60-373.19, P = 0.007). Sequential free flap was not a risk factor for any complication. CONCLUSIONS: Sequential free flap is a reliable method for head and neck surgery without more complication rate comparing to initial free flap reconstruction. More attentions should be paid on patients with preferential risk for certain complications.

Assessment of Outcomes of a Metatarsal Bone Ostectomy for Chronic Plantar Ulcers: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical management of chronic plantar ulcers is a difficult issue in medical practice. Pressure overloading is a problem that needs to be resolved. Herein, we report a surgical method to reduce plantar pressure: a dorsal approach to a metatarsal ostectomy. METHODS: From March 2011 to October 2016, 16 patients suffering from chronic plantar ulcers underwent ostectomy procedures at Taipei Wan-Fang Municipal Hospital (Taipei Medical University). A bone segment about 0.5 to 1 cm long was removed via a dorsal foot approach. The plantar wound was treated with debridement only or was simultaneously covered with a skin graft. In total, 16 patients with an average age of 57.81 (SD, 11.6) years (12 males and 4 females) were included; 15 patients (93.75%) had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for a mean of 20.66 years (range, 5-30 years). The mean glycated hemoglobin was 9.14 g/dL (range, 5.2-13.2 g/dL). The mean plantar wound size was 5.72 cm. Four patients (25%) needed to receive a skin graft with a mean skin graft size of 8.13 cm. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 15.2 months. The plantar wounds completely healed in 14 patients (87.5%) in an average of 2.14 months. No plantar ulcer was complicated with recurrence, but transfer ulcers developed in 2 patients (12.5%) at an average of 7.5 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Metatarsal ostectomy surgery via a dorsal foot approach is an efficient way to reduce pressure overloading of chronic plantar wounds. Our study provides an alternative method to treat this difficult problem with a high wound healing rate and less recurrence.

A Meta-analysis of the Evidence for Assisted Therapy with Platelet-Rich Plasma for Atrophic Acne Scars.

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have investigated the role of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as an assisted therapy for atrophic acne scars. However, the results are diverse, and no up-to-date meta-analysis was found that exclusively examined atrophic acne scar treatment. OBJECTIVES: To perform a meta-analysis to assess improvements in the side effects of PRP and the effect of assisted therapy for atrophic acne scars. METHODS: This study followed PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search of the literature was carried out in September 2018 using the electronic databases of PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library. RESULTS: Seven articles were included in this review. All of the studies published utilized PRP as additive therapy. The major therapies included fractional carbon laser therapy and microneedling. Five studies (249 participants) reported four degrees of improvement on an improvement scale (degrees 3 and 4 were considered improvement in this analysis). Four studies (200 participants) reported mean improvement scores. A significantly higher degree of improvement was shown in the PRP group compared to the control group (OR = 8.19; 95% CI 4.32-15.52; p < 0.00001), as well as better mean improvement score (WMD = 23.73; 95% CI 18.60-28.87; p < 0.00001). Substantial heterogeneity was seen in the degree of improvement (I2 = 54% p = 0.07) and the mean improvement score (I2 = 75%; p = 0.008). There were overall fewer monitored side effects, including erythema and edema (in days), in the PRP groups; however, no significance was found. CONCLUSIONS: This review shows that PRP is a useful assisted therapy for atrophic acne scars, which can achieve better improvement. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Clinical outcomes of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms that underwent endovascular repair in a district general hospital.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of elective endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) and ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) in patients at a district general hospital. METHODS: A retrospective clinical study was conducted using data on 16 patients with elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and nine patients with consecutive rAAA treated with EVAR from January 2010 to December 2014 in a district general hospital in Taiwan. RESULTS: The preoperative characteristics of the two groups are listed. Thirty-six percent (9/25) of the patients were referred from other hospitals that did not offer surgical services. The percentage of patients with rAAA that were transferred from other hospitals was 55.5% (5/9). The stay durations in the intensive care unit for elective EVAR cases were shorter than those for emergent EVAR (1.75±1 d elective vs. 10±13.37 d emergent; P<0.019). The hospitalization days (11.06±4.07 d elective vs. 21.89±18.36 d emergent; P<0.031), operative time (183.63±57.24 min elective vs. 227.11±59.92 min emergent; P<0.009), and blood loss volumes (115.63±80.41 mL elective vs. 422.22±276.26 mL emergent; P<0.005) are shown; statistics for use of Perclose ProGlide(®) (7 cases elective vs. 0 case emergent; P<0.024) are compared. The overall 30-d mortality rate was 11.11% (1/9). CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that EVAR surgery can be safely performed in a district general hospital with an integrated health care system. Using Perclose ProGlide(®) for selected cases may reduce blood loss and operative time.

Effect of statin therapy on mortality in patients with infective endocarditis.

The aim of our study was to determine whether pre-emptive statin therapy was associated with improved outcome of infective endocarditis (IE). We conducted a nationwide, population-based, propensity score-matched cohort study with the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. All patients with IE between January 2000 and December 2010 were enrolled. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcome included all-cause mortality within the first 3 months, 6 months, and one year after the diagnosis of IE. Among 13,584 patients with IE, we applied propensity score-matching on a 1:4 ratio, in which 370 statin users were matched to 1,480 statin non-users. Compared with statin non-users, statin users had a significantly lower risk of in-hospital mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49-0.86). The reduction in mortality from IE remained significant for follow-up 3 months (aHR 0.68, 95% CI, 0.53-0.88), 6 months (aHR 0.73, 95% CI, 0.58-0.91), and 12 months (aHR 0.68, 95% CI, 0.55-0.84). Statin therapy was associated with a reduced risk of ICU admission rates, shock events, the need for mechanical ventilation, but not significantly with the need for heart valvular replacement surgery. In conclusion, our study found that statin therapy is associated with a reduced risk of in-hospital and subsequent mortality of IE.